Barriers to oral health care in patients with special needs-A cross-sectional study

Aim-This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the barriers to receive oral care among patients with special health care needs. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 patients seeking dental treatment in the special care unit of Oral medicine department. A self-administered questionnaire was employed for data collection. Results: It was found that nearly 56% of respondents listed fear towards dental treatment as an important barrier which in turn prevents them from gaining access to dental care. Around 52% of patients considered their underlying medical problem as a reason for not seeking dental care as their comorbid condition would increase their fear of dental treatment, 43% of patients considered physical barriers or in need of caretakers as a barrier to Dental care. 10% of the population stated that they do not have barriers to access Dental care. Conclusion: The major barriers to oral health care utilization among patients with special needs were fear-related and hence these patients need attention towards fear alleviation and make dental care painless and simple.