Dental Health Education to Prevent Speech Delay among Children with Special Needs in West Bandung
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35568/abdimas.v9i1.7329Keywords:
Children with Special Needs, Dental Health, Oral Hygiene Behavior, Speech Delay, Health EducationAbstract
Speech delay is one of the developmental disorders that frequently occurs in children with special needs, such as autism, Down syndrome, and intellectual disabilities. One of the factors influencing children’s speech ability is oral and dental health. Poor dental conditions may hinder sound articulation, cause pain during speech, and impair oral motor function. Health education for parents of children with special needs has been proven effective in improving their ability to recognize and manage child development issues, as demonstrated in the service activity on identifying emotional problems in autistic children at SLB Kota Cimahi. This activity showed an increase in parental understanding and involvement after counselling was provided. This community service activity aimed to improve the knowledge and skills of parents and teachers in maintaining dental health as an effort to prevent speech delay among children with special needs. The activity was carried out at a Special Needs School in West Bandung Regency in September 2025, involving 74 students and 47 parents. The methods included interactive lectures, discussions, tooth-brushing demonstrations, dental examinations using the Child Dental Examination Checklist – WHO Oral Health Survey (2013), and speech development screening based on ASHA Speech and Language Development Milestones (2020). The results showed that 68% of the students had active dental caries, while only 16% had healthy teeth. Most children with healthy teeth demonstrated better communication abilities compared to those with oromotor disturbances. Post-test results indicated an improvement in parents’ knowledge, with 60.4% achieving a good category after the educational session compared to before the activity. This program proved effective in raising awareness and is recommended for periodic implementation in collaboration with schools and health centers.
Downloads
References
Alqahtani, M., et al. (2023). Association between oral health status and speech development in children with special needs: A cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health, 23(1)(451). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-023-0451-x
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). (2023). Guideline on Management of the Developing Dentition and Occlusion in Pediatric Dentistry. Chicago: AAPD.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (2020). Speech and Language Development Milestones. Rockville, MD: ASHA Press.
Ddos Santos, L. G., Peroni, F., & Mucheroni, M. L. (2022). An analysis of citing and referencing habits across all scholarly disciplines: approaches and trends in bibliographic referencing and citing practices. Journal of Information Science, 48(2), 245–258.
Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia. (2022). Pedoman Pemantauan Status Gizi Anak Sekolah dan Remaja. Direktorat Gizi Masyarakat, Direktorat Jenderal Kesehatan Masyarakat.
Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia (Kemenkes RI). (2023). Pedoman Tumbuh Kembang Anak: Deteksi Dini Gangguan Perkembangan dan Intervensi Dini. Jakarta: Direktorat Kesehatan Keluarga, Kemenkes RI.
Kulsum, D., Mulyati, R., & Novianti, S. W. (2024). Parental Health Education in Identifying Emotional Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Cimahi City SLB. ABDIMAS: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, 7(1), 355–362.
Kulsum, D. U., Shalsabila, S., & Hastuti, D. (2023). Relationship Between Stunting Incidents and Speech Delay in Toddlers at Posyandu X Cimahi. Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Keperawatan Indonesia, 13(1), 14–20. https://doi.org/10.33221/jiiki.v13i01.2380https://doi.org/10.33221/jiiki.v13i01.2380
Kulsum, D. U. (2025). Kualitas tidur anak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In Eureka Media Aksara.
Lee, Y.-J., & Kim, S. (2022). Impact of oral-motor function and dental caries on speech intelligibility among preschool children. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 160(111245).
Paul, R., & Norbury, C. F. (2019). Language Disorders from Infancy Through Adolescence: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communicating (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Ramos-Gomez, F. J., Silva, D. R., Law, C. S., Ponce, E., & Kinsler, J. (2021). Early childhood caries and its relationship to dietary habits, oral hygiene, and dental visits in preschool children. Journal of the California Dental Association, 49(3), 189–197.
Rossetti, L. (2020). The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale: A Measure of Communication and Interaction. East Moline, IL: LinguiSystems.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Oral Health Surveys: Basic Methods (5th ed.). Geneva: WHO.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Community Engagement: A Health Promotion Guide for Universal Health Coverage. Geneva: WHO.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Oral Health and Speech Development in Children with Special Needs. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Zafar, S., Al-Shehri, H., Khan, S., & Ahmad, R. (2024). Oral health education interventions for caregivers of children with special needs: A systematic review. Special Care in Dentistry, 44(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/scd.12901https://doi.org/10.1111/scd.12901
Zhou, M., Li, F., & Lin, J. (2021). Application of the Health Belief Model in oral health education for children and parents: A systematic review. BMC Oral Health, 21(1)(312). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-00312.
