Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the aetiological factors having an impact on the prevalence of dental caries, missing or filled teeth in a subsample of a single-centre cross-sectional study conducted among the inpatients of the National Institute of Medical Rehabilitation in Hungary.
Materials and Methods: Data collection was carried out through the full mouth screening for dental caries according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and a questionnaire covering social background, oral hygiene routine, eating habits for all inpatients who underwent rehabilitation between May 2019 and March 2020.
Results: The mean + standard deviation (SD) DMF-T score in the study sample of 110 physically disabled patients was 18.90 + 7.85. Factors which influenced DMF-T were age, frequency of dental visits and frequency of toothbrushing. The caries prevalence was higher than in the general Hungarian non-disabled population.
Conclusion: In the current study it was apparent that patients with physical disability had less favourable oral health with frequent occurrence of dental caries and missing teeth. Based on the results of the current study, new, targeted prevention and intervention can be developed.
Keywords: dental caries; health behaviour; physical disability; epidemiology
