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D.O.I.

10.1922/CDH_00251Bird06

Action

• James Bird
• Zoe Marshman
• Kate Jones
• Sarah R Baker

Abstract

Objectives: Adults who have learning disabilities are a vulnerable group, little is known about their oral health and how this affects their
quality of life. The aims of this secondary analysis of data from the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) were to describe the oral
health status of adults with learning disabilities, determine if severity of learning disability is associated with oral health and identify some
of the methodological complexities of working with this population. The survey yields the most recent representative data on the oral health
of adults with learning disabilities in England and importantly, contains information about oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL).
Basic research design: Secondary analysis of data from a supplemental survey of adults with learning disabilities collected alongside the
2009 ADHS. Participants: 607 participants with a diagnosed learning disability aged 18 years and over. Results: Adults with learning
disabilities had similar levels of active dental caries, fewer natural teeth, and fewer fillings than comparable participants from the general
population. Self-reported oral and general health were worse for adults with learning disabilities than the general population. Possible
associations between the severity of learning disability and the numbers of decayed, missing or filled teeth were identified. However,
large amounts of missing data limited the analysis. Conclusions: There are important questions relating to the accessibility of existing
self-reported oral health questionnaires and the reliability of proxy-reported questions about OHRQoL that should be addressed to give a
fuller picture of the oral health of adults with learning disabilities.
Keywords: oral health, dental health survey, health-related quality of life, adult learning disabilities