Are there any solutions for improving the cleft area hygiene in patients with cleft lip and palate? A systematic review

Abstract

Objective Children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) present high incidence of oral health problems, namely those associated with the accumulation of dental plaque. The objective of this systematic review was to verify if there is any solution to improve the hygiene of the cleft area. Materials and methods A structured systematic review was performed based on articles published in several electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Scopus in the last 20 years. The MeSH terms used were cleft lip, palate, harelip, oral hygiene and toothbrush. Results From 270 potentially relevant articles, 39 articles were selected, corresponding to a total of 3226 CLP patients and 914 matched controls. The selected studies exhibited great heterogeneity regarding the type of the study, study population (average range 0 ‐49 years old; sampling sizes 15‐400 CLP patients), evaluation periods, reported variables and oral hygiene routines. Consensual outcomes were the presence of high plaque indexes, high prevalence of dental caries and worse oral hygiene patterns in CLP patients. Additionally, poor education in oral health and low motivation to integrate regular hygiene routines in the daily family life were also evident. Conclusion There is a clear need to improve the oral hygiene care of CLP children, but few studies were focused on specific preventive approaches. Development of devices especially designed to the hygiene of the cleft area and implementation of standardized prevention and control programmes targeting education, motivation and compliance would contribute to improve oral health in CLP children.

Aerosol and splatter generation with rotary handpieces used in restorative and orthodontic dentistry: a systematic review

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The Role of the Pediatric Dentist in the Multidisciplinary Management of the Cleft Lip Palate Patient

“…A systematic review in 2019 [18] conducted on scientific articles of the last 20 years examined oral health problems related to the prevalence of caries and to oral hygiene patterns in patients with CLP. The 39 selected articles exhibited a high heterogeneity of type of study, observed population, evaluation periods, and considered variables.…”

Does oral care knowledge amongst UK nurses effectively support people with intellectual disabilities across their lifespan?

“…Theme 2: Care Planning Owens, Mistry and Dyer 13 identified a role for the dental team in reviewing the Health Action Plan 19 for a person with a learning disability, where medications which may impact oral health for example, can be identified. 20 Shield et al 21 introduced Dental Passports to accompany Hospital Passports 1 across an NHS Trust area. Bhagat et al 22 and Morley and Lotto 23 researched the efficacy of incorporating oral care education into undergraduate nurse education.…”