Intervention on the stomatognathic system in severe disabilities during the acute and chronic phase

Intervening on the stomatognathic system of a person with severe disabilities stresses in a particular way the very idea of taking care of someone, plus the need to involve not only other specialists but also the family and the affective environment in the therapeutic intervention. The clinical key elements in this field are: - the neuro-sensory, cognitive, affective value in the area considered (mouth, face); - the function that it performs (chewing, pre-digestion, swallowing, exploration, mime); - the pain that is almost always present in both acute and chronic oral diseases; - the type of dental pathology and its evolution - the psycho-affective compliance (families, teachers, professionals). The methods of treatments in use are: home care, outpatient treatment, hospital. To implement a therapeutic intervention in favor of a seriously disabled person, so that the disease is treated, but at the same time the functions are preserved, it is necessary to follow a personal path where the concept of therapy should coincide with that of subjective well-being. The outcome is the need to know the situation of disability and its evolution as an integral part of the physiological and functional status of the person. This project was implemented by the Istituto Serafico thanks also to the sharing of ethical concepts, to instrumental and human resources available and to the clinical experience of the professionals.

Keywords: Disabilità grave, apparato stomatognatico, interventi odontoiatrici

, Intervento sull’apparato stomatognatico in fase acuta e cronica nel disabile grave in "CHILD DEVELOPMENT & DISABILITIES - SAGGI" 3/2010, pp 89-93, DOI: 10.3280/CDD2010-003015