Healthcare Strategies in Subjects with Intellectual Disabilities During COVID-19 Pandemic

In the period of Covid-19 pandemic, attention to oral health and hygiene in patients with intellectual or physical disabilities is mandatory. The limited manual skills and motor impairments hinder the maintenance of oral health. With that in mind, devices that facilitate the removal of food debris and dental plaque have been developed and associated with solutions to reduce the overall microbial load. A total of 210 athletes were screened at the Italian Special Olympics National Games by participating volunteer dentists. Oral health-related data were collected and recorded using the Special Smiles official screening form by calibrated examiners. After the screening, the athletes were invited to eat two biscuits in order to simulate food and plaque deposition on teeth surfaces. Then subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups, test and control, to perform oral hygiene procedure with a gauze embedded with Chlorhexidine 0,12% (Digital Brush®) and standard size toothbrush, respectively. Oral Hygiene index and Food debris index were applied to both groups to evaluate the oral hygiene efficacy before (t0) and after (t1) the brushing procedure. For both analyzed indexes no significant difference was evidenced between the two groups while from t0 to t1 was recorded a significant improvement in all the athletes. In conclusion, a combination of simple and quick mechanical removal techniques and antimicrobial chemical agents could be an efficacious option.