Oral health care for young persons in custody in correctional institutions in Hong Kong

Abstract

Background - It has been found that the oral health of young persons in custody (YPICs) in different countries was worse than the general population of the same age. The authors would like to update the oral health condition and treatment needs of YPICs after 10 years from the outreach project held in Hong Kong in 2008. Aims - The aim of this community health project is to improve the oral health status of YPICs through oral hygiene education and simple preventive treatments. Methods - Thirty one female participants from Lai King Correctional Institution and 14 male participants from Lai Chi Rehabilitation Center and Sha Tsui Correctional Institution were involved in our project. They were asked to fill in a questionnaire which were set with reference to the Oral Health Survey 2011 in Hong Kong to facilitate comparison of the results with the general public of similar age group. An oral health education seminar were then held and teaching videos about toothbrushing and flossing were used to demonstrate the proper way of performing oral hygiene. Pamphlets from the Oral Health Education Unit, Department of Health were distributed to the participants after the seminar. Clinical examination and simple dental treatments were given to all the participants, while those who needed more complex treatment were referred to dentists. Results - The participants included both male and female YPICs aged between 18-20 years of age (68.9%). Most of the YPICs had inadequate knowledge on caries, periodontal disease and effects of smoking on oral health. About two thirds of them brushed their teeth twice a day while over half of them had never used dental floss or adjunctive cleaning aids before. About half of them were irregular dental attendees and around a quarter had never had dental visits before. The general oral health status was found to be inferior to that of general public of the same age. In this project, oral hygiene instruction, scaling, fluoride varnish application and Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) were delivered to the YPICs. The number of YPICs receiving these treatment were 45, 41, 22 and 6 respectively.