• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.53-57
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• 2015

Most special health care needs (SHCN) people suffer from oral health problems due to high incidence and severity of oral disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of dental treatment provided in this patient population. The study population comprised 485 SHCN patients who visited Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital from 2006 to 2014. Based on the medical record, the date were evaluated according to age, gender, type of disorder, reason for visit, type of behavior management, and type of dental treatment. The most common age group was 7-12 year olds (26%). The chief compliant was dental caries (39%), as followed by oral exam (12%) and trauma (12%). Approximately half of SHCN patients (45.9%) was treated under behavior management. Restorative treatment was the most common procedure with the average of 2.9 teeth treated per patient. The results of the present study may be valuable for establishing the data of SHCN patients for primary dental care.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2016

Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) patients need regular follow-up because of high incidence and severity of oral disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental treatment outcomes of SHCN patients according to follow-up patterns. SHCN patients who were treated under general anesthesia (GA) at Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital from 2006 to 2014 were included in this study. The final samples comprised of 53 patients that were divided into regular (33 patients) and irregular (20 patients) follow-up groups according to their follow-up patterns. The type of dental treatment after GA during the follow-up periods were compared. In the irregular group, aggressive treatment including endodontic, prosthetic treatment, and extraction were predominant, compared with the regular group (p < 0.05). In addition, all patients who had dental treatment under GA in follow-up periods were in the irregular group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study provide the importance of regular follow-ups with SHCN patients and emphasize responsibilities of dentists for educating patients and their guardians.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2019

Malocclusion occurs more frequently in Special Health Care Needed (SHCN) patients than those in general. As caregiver's needs for orthodontic treatment tend to increase, the dentist should know how to decide the extent of treatment. This case report is about orthodontic treatment for two SHCN patients; one patient with cerebral palsy, and another patient with autism. A 10-year-old patient with cerebral palsy showed protrusion and rotation of maxillary anterior teeth. To resolve his chief complaints and make better oral hygiene, he underwent orthodontic treatment using micro tube appliances for 6 months. Another 11-year-old patient with autism had anterior crossbite and showed space deficiency of #13 and chronic gingivitis because of poor oral hygiene. She underwent orthodontic treatment with maxillary skeletal expander, facemask and AP expansion appliance. After 18 months we found positive overjet and ended the treatment. When giving SHCNs orthodontic treatment, the extent of treatment can be chosen according to the patient's cooperative ability and the traits of disabilities. Before initiating orthodontic treatment, the caregivers should be aware of their limitations of the treatment. Since oral hygiene is crucial factor in every dental treatment, education of oral hygiene process for the caregivers and SHCN patient must be done before the orthodontic treatment.