Prevalence of orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment needs in differently abled population—A systematic review

Aim: This systematic review assesses the severity and complexity of orthodontic treatment needs and prosthodontic requirements among differently abled population. Materials and Methods: An online search was conducted on Medline-PubMed, Cochrane database, and Embase databases from December 1980 to 2020. There were nine and five articles to determine the prevalence of malocclusion and prosthodontic treatment needs, after a thorough evaluation of the severity and complexity of orthodontic treatment needs and prosthodontic requirements for the differently abled population. Results: In this systematic review, the prevalence of orthodontic needs among individuals with special healthcare needs, specifically those with intellectual disability/Down syndrome/cerebral palsy, varied from 18.9% to 62.3%, and from 0% to 46.5% for prosthodontic treatment needs. Conclusions: This study concluded that differently abled individuals have orthodontic and prosthodontic needs far higher than their status. Malocclusion and missing teeth together can harm the individual’s “quality of life” in physical pain and social disabilities.