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Pushing Boundaries Lecturer Karen Lansdown describes how her research is making a significant impact on the dental hygiene of people with disability, like her own son
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ecturer and PhD candidate in the School of Dentistry, Karen Lansdown, has been awarded $103,000 from the Research Foundation, Cerebral Palsy Alliance PhD Grant to investigate the commonly overlooked condition associated with cerebral palsy and poor oral health. Cerebral Palsy Alliance PhD research grants are available on a competitive basis to attract new and highly qualified graduates into the field of cerebral palsy research. As a person with a lived experience of disability, I have attended a range of specialist medical appointments with my 12-year-old son, related to his cerebral palsy (CP). During this process, I started to identify a common theme, no matter what the specialty; no one ever
mentioned oral health. When I raised concerns with a colleague about my son’s migrating central incisor, I was told to wait and see. When I posed the question ‘what about his quality of life?’ the honest response I received, was ‘I had never even considered that’. Having attended seminars on support and service access within the National Disability Insurance Agency, no one mentioned oral health, let alone had an oral care plan. In fact, when I raised the topic of oral health in a forum, they were dismissive of my ‘radical ideas’. It made me realise that we as dental professionals had failed in making our voices heard to the medical profession and this vulnerable population group. Whilst I can be an advocate for my child, what about those parents and caregivers that are
unaware of the importance of oral health to general health? Research to date identifies that children with CP are at an increased risk for many oral health concerns. The neuromuscular impacts of CP may cause change to the oro-facial structures, negatively impacting nourishment, oral hygiene and resulting in parafunctional habits of the mouth, jaw and tongue. This negatively impacts general health and affects self-esteem and self-confidence, particularly in social situations. There is emerging evidence to suggest that children with CP are at increased risk of developing sleep apnea, drooling, bruxism and pain. However, there are significant gaps in the current literature with regards to oral health, quality of life and oral health recommendations for people
