Children with special needs – An oral health compendium

Over the centuries health has evolved as a concept from an individual concern to a world wide social goal. Together with various other factors health has an important place in developing human capital. In India, children comprise 40 per cent of the rapidly growing population; compared to this rapid expansion, the provision of health care to these children is poor. Children, especially those with special needs constitute one of the high risk groups and have almost twice the unmet oral health care needs as their peers without special needs across all income levels. Due to complication of the disability and the cumulative nature of disease, regular and consistent training with proper oral health care is important for these children to enable them to realize their full potential. Above all, it is a combination of approaches, the best way of sharing the responsibility for healthy development of children of all cultures; though more challenges await down the lane.