Oral cleanliness and gingival health among Special Olympics athletes in Europe and Eurasia

Background: Special Olympics athletes, as well as the general population of people with intellectual disabilities, are expected to have poorer gingival health. The aim of the study is to explore the prevalence of gingival signs of inflammation and its relationship to oral cleanliness and age among Special Olympics athletes from Europe and Eurasia.Material and Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study was performed with data collected through standardized oral from 15.941 athletes from annual Special Olympics events held in 49 countries, from Europe and Eurasia between 2007 and 2012. The data was analysed descriptively, with One-Way ANOVA test and Chi-Square test.Results: The level of significance was predetermined at a p value < 0.05. A total of 7,754 athletes presented with gingival signs (48.64%). There were no significant differences (p= 0,095) in mean gingival signs between age groups, however the association between mouth cleaning and age, was statistically significant.Conclusions: The data suggests that there is a high prevalence of gingival signs among individuals with special needs; over 50% in more than 20 countries. Therefore, there is a serious need for education and preventive programs for the patients, their parents and caregivers.

背景：通常认为，特奥运动员以及智障人群的牙龈健康状况较差。本研究旨在探讨欧洲和欧亚地区特奥运动员牙龈炎症体征的患病率及其与口腔清洁度和年龄的关系。 材料与方法：对2007年至2012年间在欧洲和欧亚地区49个国家举办的年度特奥赛事中15941名运动员通过标准化口腔检查收集的数据进行了回顾性纵向研究。采用描述性分析、单因素方差分析和卡方检验对数据进行分析。 结果：预先设定显著性水平为P值<0.05。共有7754名运动员出现牙龈体征（48.64%）。各年龄组之间平均牙龈体征无显著差异（P = 0.095），然而口腔清洁与年龄之间的关联具有统计学意义。 结论：数据表明，有特殊需求的个体中牙龈体征患病率较高；在20多个国家超过50%。因此，迫切需要针对患者及其父母和照顾者开展教育和预防项目。