ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to assess the presence of plaque, gingivitis, and caries in a group of Sudanese children with congenital heart defects CHDs (cases) and compare them to children without CHDs (controls).Materials and methodsThis analytical cross-sectional study included cases (N = 111, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 3.0 years) and controls (N = 182, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 2.8 years) from Khartoum, Sudan. Examinations were done by two calibrated dentists using plaque index, gingival index, and WHO (World Health Organization) caries diagnostic criteria (dmft/DMFT index: decayed, missing, and filled teeth).ResultsChildren with CHDs (cases) had statistically significantly higher mean number of sites with plaque and gingivitis than children without CHDs (controls), although almost all children experienced plaque. Cases also experienced significantly higher mean dmft/DMFT than controls (age group 1, 3–7 years: 3.7 vs 2.3 and age group 2, 8–12 years: 1.3 vs 0.6). The Significant Caries Indices in cases (age groups 1 and 2) were also significantly higher than among controls (SiC 8.2 vs 5.9 and 1.8 vs 0.8, respectively). Fillings were totally lacking among cases and scarce among controls.ConclusionsThe findings clearly showed that this group of Sudanese children with CHDs was more severely affected with gingivitis and caries than the control group without CHDs. These results are cause for concern in children at risk of developing systemic infections and serious complications related to poor oral health.Clinical relevanceThese findings provide important baseline data for planning appropriate dental preventive strategies for Sudanese children with CHDs.

BackgroundSudanese children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) were found to have poorer oral health than those without CHDs. The aims of this study were to: describe the patterns of oral-health-related background factors in children with and without CHD and explore any differences, and to evaluate the effects of background factors on caries and gingivitis prevalence and dental services utilisation.MethodsIn this analytical cross-sectional study, caregivers of children aged 3–12 years with (CHD cases n = 111) and without CHDs (Controls n = 182), underwent face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire items covered several oral health background factors (independent variables) including: child’s health status, oral hygiene practices, dental services utilization, mother’s level of education, and caregiver’s perception and awareness of their child’s oral health. The relationship between these factors and occurrence of ‘caries’ and ‘gingivitis’ as well as ‘child’s dental services utilisation’ (dependent variables) were explored using multiple adjusted and hierarchal logistic regression analyses.ResultsCompared with controls, CHD cases had lower frequencies of brushing and use of fluoridated toothpaste, and their caregivers were less knowledgeable about caries. Among CHD cases, the variables (brushing and fluoridated toothpaste use) had significant impacts on caries prevalence (odd ratio (OR) =5.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4–22.8 and OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.8 for infrequent compared to frequent ones, respectively) as well as the mother’s level of education (OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.0–6.4). When differences in background factors were controlled for, the adjusted ORs for caries and gingivitis prevalence in CHD cases compared with controls were 1.8, (95% CI: 1.1–3.2) and 5.3 (95% CI: 2.9–9.4), respectively. Among CHD cases, the child’s age (8–12 years: OR = 11.9, 95% CI: 1.9–71.6), and the mother’s level of education (lower education: OR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.03–0.9) were significantly associated with the child’s dental services utilisation.ConclusionsLower frequencies of brushing and use of fluoride tooth paste were reported among CHD cases, and brushing had the predominant significant impact on caries prevalence. The child’s age and the mother’s level of education were the main factors affecting the child’s (CHD cases) dental services utilisation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12903-016-0318-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of birth defects and remain the leading cause of death from congenital malformations.Objectives: To assess the parent's knowledge regarding diagnosis and management of their children with CHD.Methods: This is a prospective questionnaire based study, conducted in Ahmed Gasim cardiac Centre, A tertiary care centre in Khartoum state, the study period was from 1st June to 31st August of 2017.Results: The total study population was 120 children with congenital heart disease and their parents. Of these children, males were 65 (54.2%) and females were 55 (45.8%). The children's age ranged from 2months to 16years. The study showed that of these patients 76.7% had a cyanotic CHD with VSD being the commonest lesion found in 45% of them, while 23.3% of them had cyanotic CHD and TOF represented the most common lesion in 18.3% of them. For most of the parents the diagnosis of their children heart problem was explained to them, 78.3% of them knew correctly their children cardiac lesions, and 95.8% of them knew that it is congenital in origin, unfortunately 63.3% of them did not know the name of their children drugs and only 9.2% of them knew the side effects of their children's medications.By using a knowledge score, 69 of these parents (57.5%) displayed good knowledge Being an urban residents, younger in age and better educated all have a positive contribution to the amount of knowledge Conclusion: As CHD, being one of the commonest congenital problems affecting children and their parents. The knowledge of the parents should be assessed and measures should be implemented to improve the knowledge of the parents, empowerment of the parents will improve the well being of children with CHD.

Background and aims: The incidence of complement abnormalities in the UK is not known. It is suggested in at least three major paediatric textbooks to test for abnormalities of the complement system following meningococcal disease (MCD). Methods: Over a four year period, surviving children with a diagnosis of MCD had complement activity assessed. A total of 297 children, aged 2 months to 16 years were screened. Results: All children except one had disease caused by B or C serogroups. One child, with group B meningococcal septicaemia (complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation and who required ventilation and inotropic support) was complement deficient. C2 deficiency was subsequently diagnosed. She had other major pointers towards an immunological abnormality prior to her MCD.

Low birth weight is a known comorbidity of congenital heart disease (CHD). This study examines the relationship between CHD and birth weight of singletons, while attempting to remove factors that influence birth weight, and assesses the impact of CHD on growth in later life. The main objective is to study the relationship between birthweight and CHD. This is a cross-sectional study of 141 samples, covering all patients who were referred to the Paediatric Echocardiography Lab at Ahmed Gasim Cardiac Centre between September and October 2016. Infants with genetic syndromes or other major extracardiac abnormalities were excluded. The findings of this study clearly demonstrate that infants with CHD are more likely to be of low birth weight than the general Sudanese population, by a factor of 2.6. Of the sample, 31.9% were born with low or very low birthweight. The mean birth weight of the cases was 2.59 kg, which is 17.3% and 542.4 g less than the national average. CHD that cause a decrement in birth weight in a descending order of severity were atrial septal defect (-721 g/23%), patent ductus arteriosus (-669 g/21%), ventricular septal defect (-610 g/19%), pulmonary stenosis (-548 g/13%) and tetralogy of Fallot (248 g/8%). Pre/postnatal growth impairment is a common feature among children with CHD. No statistically significant relationship was found between the degree of birth weight/weight to age decrement and the specific type of hemodynamic disturbance. Our results are comparable to other studies that have been undertaken. However, Sudanese patients display larger birthweight deficits than other populations.