Pediatric Dental Management for Children With Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities

Authors

  • Safa Saeed Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9819-4015
  • Dr Akshay Kiran National institute of medical sciences
  • Reema Sultan Alshahrani Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia
  • Rahaf Saud Alobaidi Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4297-1270
  • lena Abdulrahman Alotai Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5438-9565
  • Fatimah Farhan Almalki Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0843-9210
  • Fahad Khalid almasoudi Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0159-9740
  • Hadeel Ali Almalky Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia
  • Lama Alhatem Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3156-4160
  • Hadeel Horais Alzahrani Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5749-1107
  • Amirah Aldowish Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2324-551X
  • Randa Abdulaziz Aleyoni Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3207-1489
  • Setah Abothnin Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5121-2307
  • Rana Abdullah Almaiman Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1291-9272
  • Leen Alzaaqi Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2555-0663

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31661/gmj.v15i.4270

Abstract

Background: Children with special health care needs and disabilities experience a disproportionate burden of preventable oral disease, unmet dental needs, behavioral barriers to treatment, and fragmented access to specialist dental services. Materials and Methods: This scoping review mapped contemporary evidence on pediatric dental management strategies for children with special health care needs, with emphasis on prevention, behavior guidance, interdisciplinary care, teledentistry, and service delivery. A structured search was planned across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, and grey-literature sources for English-language evidence published from January 2015 to August 2025. Evidence was charted using a population-concept-context framework and synthesized narratively according to source type and clinical theme. Results: The final evidence map comprised 20 topic-relevant sources, including systematic reviews, observational studies, qualitative studies, educational program reports, narrative reviews, textbooks, and expert consensus documents. No randomized controlled trial was verified among the cited sources; therefore, the manuscript was framed as a scoping review rather than an effectiveness-focused systematic review. Four major themes were identified: preventive and caregiver-mediated oral-health support, individualized behavior guidance and sensory adaptation, interdisciplinary medical-dental collaboration, and technology-enabled access, including teledentistry. Conclusion: Current evidence supports integrated, family-centered, function-based, and prevention-oriented dental care for children with special health care needs and disabilities. However, the evidence base remains limited by heterogeneous designs, provider-centered outcomes, small samples, narrative sources, and limited comparative child-outcome data. Future research should prioritize prospective multicenter studies using standardized clinical, behavioral, access-related, and quality-of-life outcomes. [GMJ.2026;15:e4270] 

 

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Published

2026-07-08

How to Cite

Saeed, S., Kiran, D. A., Alshahrani , R. S., Saud Alobaidi, R., Alotai , lena A., Almalki, F. F., … Alzaaqi, L. (2026). Pediatric Dental Management for Children With Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities. Galen Medical Journal, 15, e4270. https://doi.org/10.31661/gmj.v15i.4270

Issue

Vol. 15 (2026): 2026: In Progress

Section

Review Article

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Copyright (c) 2026 Galen Medical Journal

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