Countering the Identified Barriers to Delivered Oral Care for Children With Special Healthcare Needs: A Narrative Review.

Children with Special Health Care Needs (SHCNs) have poor oral health as a result of structural and systemic barriers. These children frequently have limited access to dental treatment, a higher prevalence and incidence of dental problems, and worse oral hygiene than the rest of the population. This review aims to offer an understanding of the existing oral care barriers of children with SHCNs. We reviewed the literature on children with SHCNs and their caregivers to identify the implications of the barriers faced by these individuals. Some of the perceived barriers to appropriate oral healthcare faced by these children include obstacles to adequate oral care and hygiene in the home, challenging behaviours, and limited preventive care and accessibility. We focussed on interventions and different management approaches to support the stakeholders responsible for these children. There is a need for strong communication as well as care coordination between caregivers, dentists, and other providers to achieve positive outcomes. The current dental healthcare system appears to desert the needed demands of this demographic.