TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers and Facilitators to Dental Care Services Utilization Among Children With Disabilities
T2 - A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis
AU - Al-Mashhadani, Shiamaa
AU - Nasser, Mona
AU - Alsalami, Anas
AU - Burns, Lorna
AU - Paisi, Martha
N1 - © 2024 The Author(s). Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2024/9/30
Y1 - 2024/9/30
N2 - BACKGROUND: This systematic review investigates barriers and enablers to dental care utilization by disabled children. Given the high global prevalence of disabilities in children, coupled with poor oral hygiene and a 45% rate of dental caries in this group, developing inclusive oral health strategies is critical. The review aims to synthesize literature on factors affecting oral healthcare improvement for disabled children, identifying barriers, facilitators and knowledge gaps.METHODS: The review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute's methods and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search spanned multiple databases, considering perspectives from carers, parents, dentists and health professionals. The focus was on studies involving children up to age 17 with disabilities, as defined by WHO, using dental care services. Exclusions included non-qualitative studies, populations over 18 and nondisabled children. There were no restrictions on publication date or language. Thematic synthesis of the studies extracted themes related to barriers and enablers in oral healthcare for disabled children.RESULTS: Thematic synthesis identified five overarching themes: stigma, communication issues, professional development, oral health education and medical-dental collaboration. Facilitators included enhancing accessibility and availability of dental care through a holistic approach, improving dental care facility environments and ensuring skilled dental care providers.DISCUSSION: The review underscores the importance of interprofessional collaboration, improved parent/caregiver education and specialized dental facilities to support children with disabilities. It identifies key barriers and facilitators in dental care, including challenging stereotypes, improving communication between providers and parents, enhancing holistic training and addressing gaps in oral health education and integrated healthcare systems.CONCLUSION: Addressing the complex dynamics of dental care for disabled children is essential for developing inclusive and effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. This review highlights the need for tailored approaches and enhanced support systems to improve oral health outcomes in this vulnerable population.PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The members of the family support department, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Organization for Rare Disease and Disability who provided the disability voice and contributed to providing input to the review protocol.
AB - BACKGROUND: This systematic review investigates barriers and enablers to dental care utilization by disabled children. Given the high global prevalence of disabilities in children, coupled with poor oral hygiene and a 45% rate of dental caries in this group, developing inclusive oral health strategies is critical. The review aims to synthesize literature on factors affecting oral healthcare improvement for disabled children, identifying barriers, facilitators and knowledge gaps.METHODS: The review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute's methods and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search spanned multiple databases, considering perspectives from carers, parents, dentists and health professionals. The focus was on studies involving children up to age 17 with disabilities, as defined by WHO, using dental care services. Exclusions included non-qualitative studies, populations over 18 and nondisabled children. There were no restrictions on publication date or language. Thematic synthesis of the studies extracted themes related to barriers and enablers in oral healthcare for disabled children.RESULTS: Thematic synthesis identified five overarching themes: stigma, communication issues, professional development, oral health education and medical-dental collaboration. Facilitators included enhancing accessibility and availability of dental care through a holistic approach, improving dental care facility environments and ensuring skilled dental care providers.DISCUSSION: The review underscores the importance of interprofessional collaboration, improved parent/caregiver education and specialized dental facilities to support children with disabilities. It identifies key barriers and facilitators in dental care, including challenging stereotypes, improving communication between providers and parents, enhancing holistic training and addressing gaps in oral health education and integrated healthcare systems.CONCLUSION: Addressing the complex dynamics of dental care for disabled children is essential for developing inclusive and effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. This review highlights the need for tailored approaches and enhanced support systems to improve oral health outcomes in this vulnerable population.PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The members of the family support department, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Organization for Rare Disease and Disability who provided the disability voice and contributed to providing input to the review protocol.
KW - Humans
KW - Disabled Children
KW - Child
KW - Health Services Accessibility
KW - Oral Health
KW - Dental Care for Disabled
KW - Adolescent
KW - Dental Care for Children
KW - Dental Care
KW - barriers and facilitators
KW - holistic approach
KW - stigma
KW - multidisciplinary collaboration
KW - children with disabilities
KW - dental care services
KW - oral health promotion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205296586&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/context/pds-research/article/1231/viewcontent/Health_Expectations___2024___Al_Mashhadani___Barriers_and_Facilitators_to_Dental_Care_Services_Utilization_Among_Children.pdf
U2 - 10.1111/hex.70049
DO - 10.1111/hex.70049
M3 - Article
C2 - 39345162
SN - 1369-6513
VL - 27
JO - Health Expectations
JF - Health Expectations
IS - 5
M1 - e70049
ER -