Oral health characteristics of patients living with intellectual disability at transition phase from pediatric dental service to adult dental service: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the available literature to ascertain the oral health characteristics of patients living with intellectual disability when they transfer from pediatric dental service to adult dental service. Material and methods: The electronic search was performed between June 2020 and July 2020 using the following databases: MEDLINE and EMBASE. Cochrane database, gray literature, and Google Scholar were also searched. References of articles obtained from the electronic searches were scanned through. Journals and regulation agency websites were also hand searched. This systematic review used a defined search strategy keywords for all the electronic databases. The strength of evidence in these studies was evaluated using the British Medical Journal quality assessment tool. Results: The search process identified 45 eligible articles. Of these, 35 studies were excluded, and 10 observational studies were included. Conclusion: It seems that a considerable percentage of patients living with intellectual disability in their transition phase, aged between 18 and 25 years, have a high prevalence of dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontal disease when compared to the general population.