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Commentary on: Ward LM, Cooper SA, Hughes-McCormack L, et al. Oral health of adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review. J Intellet Disabil Res 2019;63:1359–78. doi:10.1111/jir.12632
Implications for practice and research
Larger, higher-quality studies are needed to investigate the oral health needs of adults with intellectual disabilities.
Specific training in oral hygiene care and oral disease management should be given when working with adults with intellectual disabilities.
Context
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 …
Footnotes
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.