Salud oral en el niño con Síndrome de Down : protocolo de intervención

Abstract

Patients with Down syndrome (DS) have a series of anomalies in the morphology characteristics of craniofacial and oral cavity. Oral abnormalities affect both hard and soft structures like: tongue, oral mucosa, lips, salivary glands, palate and teeth. In the scientific literature, we can find many studies that show the high predisposition of patients with DS to have oral problems (caries, periodontitis, malocclusion, harmful habits) as a result of their condition. The DS patient comprises defects in the oral cavity for dental treatment which requires an organized and trained multidisciplinary team. For this reason it is essential the establishment of appropriate preventive measures at an early age, it will be necessary the participation of parents and educators, properly advised by the dentist. It is known that these patients are more vulnerable than a normal child, because there can be difficults in communication, impaired intellectual capacity or other deficiencies. To endure this, we have all the resources at our disposal to achieve complete dental care because of parental concern for the child and treating oral situation requires us to have in contact everyone to participate fully motivated for oral care and hygiene.