Risk factors for dental caries in children with developmental disabilities

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate risk factors for dental caries in children with developmental disabilities who were treated at a clinical reference service for patients with special needs in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. This is a retrospective cohort study that evaluated 401 dental charts of individuals without dental caries or restorations in their first dental appointment. The dependent variable was the time of occurrence of new dental caries or restorations and was measured in months. Gender, age, International Code of Diseases (ICD), mother´s education, sugar consumption, use of fluoride toothpaste, oral hygiene, mouth breathing, reports of xerostomia, gingival status, use of psychotropic or asthma drugs, and history of asthma were covariates. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the raw and adjusted hazard ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals. The average time that individuals remained free of dental caries/restoration was equal to 107.46 months (95%CI 95.41 to 119.51), with a median of caries-free children up to 94 months. For each point increase in the scale of sucrose consumption, the increase in caries risk was 1.07 (95%CI 1.01 to 1.15). Sucrose consumption was the only risk factor for dental caries found in this group of individuals with developmental disabilities.

A comparative study on oral health status in Greek preschool children with neurodevelopmental disorders with movement limitations

“…From the contact with the parents, it seemed that the parents of children with NDD were afraid of the risk of them swallowing the fluoride toothpaste. Contrary to the present study, other studies reported that the majority of children with NDD used fluoridated toothpaste. Cavalho et al reported that parents who had a high educational level and believed that oral hygiene and fluoride was of prime importance in dental caries prevention provided better oral care to their children with CP.…”

“…In the literature, children with severe NDD, with exclusively nonsolid diet, consuming sugary beverages and being baby‐bottle fed have increased dental treatment needs . It has also been reported that sucrose consumption was the only risk factor for dental caries found in individuals with NDD . Tube fed children also have been shown to have less dental caries since food is not consumed through the oral cavity .…”

“…3,28 It has also been reported that sucrose consumption was the only risk factor for dental caries found in individuals with NDD. 25 Tube fed children also have been shown to have less dental caries since food is not consumed through the oral cavity. 12 In the present study, all children in the NDD group were orally fed.…”

Oral health status of a sample of Venezuelan patients with spina bifida. A cross-sectional

“…Caries prevalence in patients with SB is usually higher than in the rest of the population because their neurological disorder affects their oral hygiene. 1,14 Likewise, some authors as Queiroz et al 2 and Solanki et al 15 suggest that a poor diet and prolonged use of sugary medicines contribute to the development of caries at an early age. In the present study only 46.7% of the patients had cavities, a figure which increases with the child's age.…”

What Increases the Risk of Dental Traumatism in Patients with Developmental Disabilities?

“…The study has limitations that have already been mentioned in an earlier longitudinal study (24). In the service where these patients receive dental treatment, the team seeks to attend to them periodically, not exceeding the limit of 6 months for each patient return.…”