Children with Disabilities at Risk of Poor Oral Health in the Republic of Lithuania: A Retrospective Descriptive Service Evaluation

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.275
• Author: Laura Mazecaite‐Vaitilaviciene,Janine Owens
• Date: 01 September 2018
• Published date: 01 September 2018

Children with Disabilities at Risk of Poor Oral Health

in the Republic of Lithuania: A Retrospective

Descriptive Service Evaluation

Laura Mazecaite-Vaitilaviciene and Janine Owens

This retrospective service evaluation considers the oral health of children with disabilities in post-

Soviet Lithuania. It identif‌ies that they have extensive dental decay and that the predominant course

of dental treatment for children with disabilities is tooth extraction under general anesthetic. There is

little in the way of specialist service provision, preventative care, or oral health promotion for this

group. This study adds to the literature by identifying and emphasizing the impact on oral health of

the sweeping economic and political changes, the move toward deinstitutionalization, and new

economic trends such as a market economy. In particular, the lack of social welfare support, high

levels of child poverty, poor educational outcomes, and the privatization of the oral health-care system

has served to increase oral health inequity for marginalized groups. The outcome is an increase in oral

health inequalities for children with disabilities and an urgent need for policy and reform.

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to explore the oral health of children with disabilities

in post-Soviet Lithuania. Although there are differences in prevalence between

countries, oral health research suggests that children with disabilities have poorer

oral health and experience more dental decay, periodontal disease, and extrac-

tions (Cardoso et al., 2015; De Camargo & Antunes, 2008; Norderyd, Faulks,

Molina, Granlund, & Klingberg, 2018; Norderyd, Klingberg, Faulks, & Granlund,

2017; Stein, Polido, & Cermak, 2013). The oral health research suggests that there

are inequalities in oral health for children with disabilities. More signif‌icantly, a

social determinants approach argues that inequalities in oral health are cumula-

tive and pervasive across the lifecourse (Thomson, 2012) which is of particular

importance for children with disabilities because they are a marginalized group.

The social determinants have an impact on all aspects of health, including

oral health. Although the links are highly complex and involve many factors,

noncommunicable diseases such as dental decay and periodontitis are prevent-

able and can be associated with poverty, low socioeconomic status, inadequate

World Medical & Health Policy, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2018

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doi: 10.1002/wmh3.275

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