The mouth is a mirror of general health and can show symptoms of serious health problems, such as leukaemia. It can also be affected by medication such as epanutin to control epilepsy and many of the anti-psychotic drugs which are prescribed to manage 'challenging behaviour'. Common problems associated with developmental disorders pose risks for oral health, such as swallowing difficulties and the use of food supplements with a high sugar content to maintain nutritional status. Many severely disabled people have difficulty co-operating for dental treatment and may need treatment under a general anaesthetic, so it is even more important that their oral health is maintained and the need for treatment is prevented. We have come a long way in the technology of transplants but we still do not have any easy solutions to replace missing teeth.
Dentures are very difficult to wear, especially for profoundly disabled people.
Making dentures requires a reasonable degree of co-operation so it often impossible to make dentures to fit certain people. People who have no teeth and cannot wear dentures need to adjust their diet and may be embarrassed by the change in their appearance and the effect this may have on their social acceptance. Dental caries Dietary sugar is broken down by bacterial plaque to create an acid. Each time sugar is eaten either in food or drink, acid attacks the tooth surface. Repeated acid attacks throughout the day weaken the surface of the tooth which eventually breaks down to form a cavity.