Dental care utilization among developmentally disabled adolescents experiencing difficulty with decayed teeth: A population-level study.

AIMS To determine if adolescents with developmental disabilities (DDs) who experienced difficulty with dental caries differed by dental visits in the past 12 months and receipt of preventive services (fluoride treatment and dental sealants) during those visits compared to adolescents with no DDs or difficulty with dental caries. METHODS AND RESULTS A cross-sectional study was conducted using data of 91 196 adolescents aged 10-17 years from the 2016-2020 National Survey of Children's Health. Descriptive and bivariate statistics and multivariable regression models were conducted. We derived the odds ratio for visiting a dental office (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.57-1.03, p = .07), receiving fluoride treatments (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.01-1.43, p = .04), and dental sealants (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.19-1.75, p < .001) for DD adolescents who experienced difficulty with dental caries compared to adolescents with no DDs or difficulty with dental caries. CONCLUSIONS DD adolescents who experienced difficulty with dental caries were more likely to receive fluoride treatments and sealants during dental visits but were equally likely to have a dental visit in the past 12 months than adolescents with no DDs or difficulty with dental caries.

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