Objective: Evaluate the attitude of dental surgeons (DS) in relation to dental care for patients with special needs (PSN). Methods: Transversal study that used the quantitative method through a questionnaire which was answered by 60 DS attending at Dental Conference in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Results: 73% of the DS do not attend this type of patients, among these: 62.1% because they do not know how to treat them; 91.4% because they did not have a Special Patients Course during their academic education; 25.9% because it requires a lot of time and patience and 69% because it needs certain emotional conditions. On the other hand, 4% of the respondents answered that they atended PSN; under some form of containment, sedation or if it was the case, refer them to a specialist. The remaining 23% of DS indicated paying attention only if they were collaborating patients. Conclusion...

Sr. Editor. Esta carta tiene como objetivo describir cómo una universidad pública, a través de sus actividades de extensión, puede actuar en comunidades que viven en exclusión social y mostrar las condiciones de salud bucal correlacionadas con el perfil socioeconómico de esas familias.

A 12-year-old girl diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), epilepsy, and intellectual deficit, was seen at the dental clinic for patients with special needs at the Dental School of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, due to a gingival hemorrhage on tooth 21, after a fall due to a seizure. The clinical examination of the patient identified active caries and the presence of visible biofilm on almost all dental surfaces. A radiographic exam of tooth 21 showed a fracture in the middle-third root of the tooth. All the necessary dental procedures were carried out during the endodontic treatment on tooth 21, filling the canal with calcium hydroxide paste. During the beginning of the care, the patient presented an agitated behavior requiring specialized management, always keeping the caregiver in the same clinical setting so that the patient felt welcomed. It concluded the knowle...

Objective: Evaluate the attitude of dental surgeons (DS) in relation to dental care for patients with special needs (PSN). Methods: Transversal study that used the quantitative method through a questionnaire which was answered by 60 DS attending at Dental Conference in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Results: 73% of the DS do not attend this type of patients, among these: 62.1% because they do not know how to treat them; 91.4% because they did not have a Special Patients Course during their academic education; 25.9% because it requires a lot of time and patience and 69% because it needs certain emotional conditions. On the other hand, 4% of the respondents answered that they atended PSN; under some form of containment, sedation or if it was the case, refer them to a specialist. The remaining 23% of DS indicated paying attention only if they were collaborating patients. Conclusion...

Sr. Editor. Esta carta tiene como objetivo describir cómo una universidad pública, a través de sus actividades de extensión, puede actuar en comunidades que viven en exclusión social y mostrar las condiciones de salud bucal correlacionadas con el perfil socioeconómico de esas familias.

Introduction: Evaluate the profile of patients with Down Syndrome (DS) assisted in the Discipline of Dental Care of Patients with Specials Needs in the School of Dentistry, at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Method: Based on the dental records of patients treated at an outpatient level between 2001 and 2019, information was obtained regarding the patient's age in the first care, sex, form of access, systemic condition of DS, medication used, and treatment received on his last visit to the clinic. Result: DS represented 9% of patients, the prevalence of which was male (61%) and median age of 24 years. Regarding the conditions associated with DS, 2.8% presented autism and 15.9% had chronic diseases, with cardiopathy and hypothyroidism as the most prevalent. Related to the medicines of continuous use, 21.4% used medication, being the most frequent: antiepileptics, antipsych...

Introduction: Evaluate the profile of patients with Down Syndrome (DS) assisted in the Discipline of Dental Care of Patients with Specials Needs in the School of Dentistry, at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Method: Based on the dental records of patients treated at an outpatient level between 2001 and 2019, information was obtained regarding the patient's age in the first care, sex, form of access, systemic condition of DS, medication used, and treatment received on his last visit to the clinic. Result: DS represented 9% of patients, the prevalence of which was male (61%) and median age of 24 years. Regarding the conditions associated with DS, 2.8% presented autism and 15.9% had chronic diseases, with cardiopathy and hypothyroidism as the most prevalent. Related to the medicines of continuous use, 21.4% used medication, being the most frequent: antiepileptics, antipsych...

Intellectual disability is a neuropsychiatric disorder that affects cognitive, motor, social and language functions. The difficulty of patients and their caregivers in performing oral hygiene is linked to the failure to preserve their health. The objective of this article is to report the dental care of a 55-year-old patient diagnosed with intellectual disability caused by perinatal anoxia. All the necessary dental procedures were carried out, always preserving the pertinent care for the patient's care, providing her with a positive emotional benefit, through constant stimulation, gradual inclusion of the patient and her caregiver in the dental environment, associated with the preventive-educational reinforcement activities. It is concluded that the knowledge of the particularities of the patient reported with intellectual disability was extremely important for the conduct of her dental ...

Aim: To describe the oral finding, physical features and medical features with the genetic diagnosis of a Pentasomy X. Case report: A 6-year-old female patient was referred for oral evaluation presenting acute pain related to ulcers in the attached gingival and dorsum of tongue mucosa. Medical history revealed Pentasomy X associated with interatrial communication, convergent strabismus, recurrent seizures, dysautonomia, episodes of thrombosis and cognitive delay with limited oral communication skills. A palliative oral treatment was applied. Oral hygiene improvement and surveillance were decided considering the absence of dental hypersensitivity, post eruptive enamel breakdowns or dental caries. Less than 30 cases had been reported in the literature, reflecting the rare nature of this genetic disorder and with great difficulties to perform dental treatment. As regards the oral healt...