Orthodontics for children with disabilities

Persons with disabilities are children or adults who are prevented by a physical or mental condition from full participation in the normal range of activities of their age group. They usually exhibit high orthodontic treatment need, because of an increased prevalence and severity of alocclusion. This chapter discusses orthodontic treatment for patients with developmental disability involving behavioral problems. It also discusses the major obstacles that may preclude the delivery of orthodontic treatment or are encountered during treatment, together with the different management modalities that may be employed to overcome the behavioral limitations. For every orthodontic case in routine orthodontic practice, assessment of the patient's future compliance potential is an essential part of the pretreatment examination, which may usually be completed within a short half-hour initial visit. It should be recognized that most visits for the duration of orthodontic treatment will require the use of behavior management techniques.