Access to Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities in Ontario: A Focus on Persons with Developmental Disabilities
Master’s Thesis by Anjani Koneru
From the University of Toronto (2008)
This study was undertaken to determine if persons with disabilities encounter difficulties in accessing dental care in Ontario, to identify barriers to accessing dental care and to determine if persons with disabilities and caregivers value oral health. Community organizations providing supports for persons with disabilities were recruited to circulate a questionnaire to their members via mail or internet. Fourteen community organizations mailed out 1755 paper questionnaires. A response rate of 23.9% was calculated from original surveys returned. In total, 634 paper and internet surveys were deemed valid. Data analysis was conducted using the chi square test and logistic regression. Most (73.2%) persons with disabilities, primarily developmental disabilities, were able to access dental services in Ontario. Personal internal factors were more likely to act as barriers to dental care than external factors. The majority of caregivers and persons with disabilities believe that oral health is an important part of overall health.
