# Dental service utilisation and perceptions amongst Indian rural children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

## TL;DR

This study explores dental care access and perceptions among children with disabilities in rural India, finding low dental visits and perceived need due to factors like lack of information and clinic proximity.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific factors influencing dental service utilisation and perceived need for care in rural Indian children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

## Key findings

- Only 23% of participants reported dental visits, and 29% perceived a need for dental care.
- Factors like disability type, child’s age, information availability, and clinic proximity significantly influenced dental visits.
- Caregiver perception of dental care quality affected perceived need for care.

## Abstract

The present study investigated the factors affecting dental visits and the perceived need for dental care amongst children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in rural India.

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sample of 160 caregivers, of whom 79% were mothers with a mean age of 32 ± 8.67 years, caring for children with a mean age of 7.45 ± 3.72 years. The caregivers completed a questionnaire that explored various factors affecting dental service utilisation and perceived need for dental care. Indicators of influencing factors were adopted from validated instruments assessing healthcare access and including demographic and socioeconomic variables. Simple univariable logistic regression models were fitted to determine the odds of dental visits and perceived dental need.

Twenty-three per cent of participants reported dental visits, whilst 29% perceived a need for dental care. Factors that significantly affected dental visits were demographic variables such as type of disability (OR 3.34; 95% CI 1.32, 8.48), child’s age (OR 4.87; 95% CI 1.59, 14.91), and the availability of information regarding oral care (OR 3.51; 95% CI 1.56, 7.90). Other factors that significantly affected dental utilisation were caregivers’ perception regarding child’s oral health (OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.68, 8.02) and the proximity to dental clinics (OR 4.18; 95% CI 1.56, 11.15). Similarly, these variables were associated with increased odds of perceived need for dental care, except for the caregiver’s perception of the child’s oral health (OR 0.21; 95% CI 0.09, 0.46). Additionally, caregivers' perception of the quality of dental care impacted their perceived need for care (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.67, 0.94).

Dental visits and perceived need for care were low amongst children and adolescents with IDD in rural India. The lack of information, proximity to dental clinics and quality of care affected dental service utilisation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40368-026-01175-1.