Dental caries in individuals with Down syndrome: a systematic review

Abstract

There is no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that people with Down syndrome have a lower experience of caries than non-syndromic individuals.

Malocclusion in children and adolescents with Down syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Oral conditions, such as dental caries and periodontal disease among individuals with DS, have been largely discussed in the scientific literature by means of systematic reviews and meta‐analysis. No systematic attempt, however, has been carried out to summarize the evidence regarding the susceptibility to malocclusion among individuals with DS thus far .…”

“…Nasal bone depression and flat facial profile, high palate, hypotonicity of the perioral muscles, a relatively large, protruding and hypotonic tongue, narrowed oropharynx, inclined palpebral fissures, strabismus, and dental anomalies of number and shape are also observed. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Oral conditions, such as dental caries 11,12 and periodontal disease 13 among individuals with DS, have been largely discussed in the scientific literature by means of systematic reviews and meta-analysis. No systematic attempt, however, has been carried out to summarize the evidence regarding the | 525 DORIGUÊTTO eT al.…”

Down Syndrome: A Review for the Dental Professionals

“…Some reports concluded that DS population are with higher caries prevalence, [27,28] while others concluded that there is no difference in caries prevalence compared to healthy groups. [29][30][31][32][33] However, most investigators have found a lower prevalence of caries in DS patients in both dentitions. [34][35][36][37][38] This low caries incidence in children with DS is in spite of the presence of increased risk factors for caries such as cariogenic diet, decreased salivary flow rate, [34,39,40] mouth breathing, imbalanced occlusal forces and poor access to oral hygiene.…”

Genotypic diversity and acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans in Down syndrome children

“….However, other studies did not find this between‐group difference . Recently, a systematic review revealed that, even though the majority of studies have found a lower caries experience in DS than in non‐DS patients, the lack of control for confounding factors such as diet, oral hygiene habits, patient origin (institutionalized vs community), and number of teeth (due to the natural delayed teeth eruption in DS patients) limits the reliability of their findings …”

“…factors such as diet, oral hygiene habits, patient origin (institutionalized vs community), and number of teeth (due to the natural delayed teeth eruption in DS patients) limits the reliability of their findings. 10 Although no microorganism has been entirely associated with initiation and progression of dental caries, 11 several studies have shown a relationship between high counts of Streptococcus mutans and carious lesions. 12 Authors have evaluated the correlation between S. mutans infection levels and the incidence of dental caries.…”