Outreach dental service for persons with special needs in Hong Kong

Abstract

The authors describe the acceptance and efficiency of an outreach dental service, which provided oral health care to persons with special needs in Hong Kong. Portable dental equipment was transported to various institutions. Basic dental care including prevention, scaling, restoration, extraction, and denture repair was provided free of charge. Elderly adults living in institutions were the main service recipients, but other people with special needs, including physically disabled and persons with mental retardation were also reached. One-third of the patients had dental pain or sensitivity, and 70% had not visited a dentist for more than three years. Dental care was provided to 6,867 patients over four years. Feedback from the patients showed that more than 90% of them were satisfied with the service. These findings indicate that patients with special needs in Hong Kong are in great need of dental care. An outreach dental service appears to be both appropriate and efficient in providing care to these persons.