Cepillo manual frente a eléctrico en el control mecánico de placa en pacientes con discapacidad intelectual: estudio clínico aleatorizado

Abstract

En la población con discapacidad intelectual (DI), antes denominada retraso mental, diferentes estudios han encontrado consistentemente que el estado de salud bucodental es peor: los sujetos con DI tienen una peor higiene oral y, por lo tanto, los niveles de placa son superiores en comparación con la población general. La hipótesis de este estudio clínico aleatorizado fue que los cepillos de dientes eléctricos podrían proporcionar mejores resultados clínicos, en comparación con los cepillos de dientes manuales, en los pacientes con DI, tanto cuando se utilizan bajo supervisión como cuando se utilizan en el hogar sin supervisión...

Oral biofilms and, specifically, dental biofilms, are the primary cause of the two most prevalent oral diseases, caries and periodontal diseases. In the management of these conditions, supragingival plaque control becomes an essential step in prevention (Serrano et al., 2014). Mechanical methods are the most widely used and accepted approach for plaque control, but sometimes effective mechanical methods for plaque control are relatively tedious, and for many individuals difficult to master (Jain, 2013). Evidence supports the idea that people with intellectual disability (ID) have higher plaque levels and poorer oral hygiene than the general population (Anders and Davis, 2010). This kind of disability is characterized by significant restrictions both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour, manifested in adaptive, social and practical skills (Luckasson et al., 2002). In a population with ID, previously known as mental retardation, studies have consistently found that there is worse oral health condition (Anders and Davis, 2010, Gabre et al., 2001) that may be associated with pain, difficulties in eating, in sleeping, etc. These impairments, together with the difficulties of communication, characteristic of ID, it is clearly justified the need to improve the oral health conditions in this population (García Fernández et al., 2002)...