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A paired comparison of dental care in Canadians with Down syndrome and their siblings without Down syndrome
Author(s) -
Allison Paul J.,
Lawrence Herenia P.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.0301-5661.2004.00130.x
Subject(s) - medicine , down syndrome , family medicine , dentistry , psychiatry
– Objective: To test the hypothesis that, controlling for age, Canadians with Down syndrome (DS) have dental care that is different to that of their siblings without DS. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey of parents of children with DS among members of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS), using a validated questionnaire. Parents were asked to complete two versions of the questionnaire: one for their child with DS and another for the sibling closest in age without DS. A total of 2327 questionnaires were distributed; 1221 questionnaires for people with DS and 950 for siblings without DS were returned. A paired analysis (McNemar test) of dental care indicators was performed on data from 938 family pairs, stratifying for age. Results: For all the dental care indicators and age groups, many respondents indicated the same behaviours or experiences in their child with DS and a sibling without DS. However, depending on the particular form of dental care and the age group, 0–47% of families reported discordant dental care experiences for their child with DS and a sibling without DS. The greatest differences were observed for yearly consults ( P = 0.029), restorations ( P < 0.001), fluoride therapy ( P = 0.013) and extractions ( P = 0.029). Conclusion: These observations suggest that compared to their siblings without DS, Canadians with DS are receiving different dental care.