Oral health should be considered when working with adults with intellectual disabilities, and larger, higher-quality studies in this area are needed

Poor oral health can have a harmful influence on an individual ' s self-esteem, self-image, social interaction, stress, mood and can cause other health problems.1 In a previous systematic review, it was highlighted that adults with intellectual disabilities were more likely to experience poor oral health compared with the general public.2 Since this publication there has been a wide range of international research and policy development looking at specifically improving oral health for adults with intellectual disabilities.3 This systematic review carried out by Ward and colleagues examined if adults with intellectual disabilities still experienced poor oral health, and if so, to what extent.4 The secondary objective was to identify what were the most common methods used to examine oral health within the relevant literature.

Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - September 25, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news