Dental caries prevalence among Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) 6- to 12-year-old children in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia compared to non-diabetic children

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of dental caries among groups of 6–12-year-old children with and without Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taking into account oral health behaviour, diet, and salivary parameters. Methods The study was designed as a comparable study of dental caries experience between T1DM and non-diabetic groups of children. The total sample size of 209 participants consisted of 69 diabetic and 140 non-diabetic children. Oral hygiene, diet and socio-economic status were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Caries was recorded in terms of decayed and filled permanent and primary teeth (DFT/dft). Salivary microbial counts and pH levels were recorded using Caries Risk Test (CRT) kit. Student's t -test, the chi-squared test, linear regression and one-way analysis of variance were performed P-value of 0.05 considered significant. Results The mean dft scores for the diabetic and non-diabetic groups were 3.32 ± 0.78 and 3.28 ± 0.71 (mean ± SD), respectively (p = 0.458). The mean DFT scores for the diabetic and non-diabetic groups were 1.62 ± 0.65 and 1.96 ± 0.65, respectively (p = 0.681). Diabetic children visited dentists more often than non-diabetic children did (p = 0.04), and had lower consumption of both sweets (p = 0.003) and flavoured milk (p = 0.002) than the non-diabetic group. Furthermore, analysis showed that the diabetic children had medium oral pH levels (pH = 4.5–5.5), whereas the non-diabetic children tended to have high (pH ≥ 6.0) oral pH; this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.01). In addition, the diabetic group had higher Lactobacillus levels than the non-diabetic group (p = 0.04). Conclusion The difference in caries prevalence between the diabetic and non-diabetic children was not statistically significant. The CRT analysis revealed a higher frequency of “critical” pH values (pH = 4.5–5.5) and higher Lactobacillus counts in diabetic children than in non-diabetic children, which indicated a higher caries risk in the former group.

Assessment of dental caries and salivary characteristics among type 1 diabetic Saudi children

“…The DMFT finding in the current study had close similarities to two studies conducted in Saudi Arabia by Al–Badr et al. 12 and AlMutairi et al. 17 However, an earlier study in Saudi Arabia by Wyne et al.…”

“…Three studies to date have addressed dental caries in children with DM1 in Saudi Arabia, all of which were in Riyadh city. 12 , 16 , 17 The present study was the first study to investigate the stimulated salivary flow rate in children with DM1 in Saudi Arabia.…”

“…Al–Badr et al. 12 studied the salivary pH and Mutans streptococci ( MS) and lactobacilli levels in children with DM1. However, no studies measuring the salivary flow rate in type 1 DM have been done in Saudi Arabia.…”

Oral Lesions in Pediatric Patients in North Mexico with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus as Underlying Disease

“…Oral pH revealed a neutral value in B-cell ALL and healthy patient groups (pH 7.1 and 7.0 respectively); pH in T1DMset was acidic (pH 6.1) (Table S2). However, this record did not reach a critical value (pH ≤5.5) to be considered as a cariogenic factor (29). Therefore, CPOD-ceod and GIindices suggest the cariogenic risk is related to other factors such as poor oral hygiene; especially in B-cell ALL children, probably related to the frequent oral pain.…”

Evaluation Of Commonly Treated Mandibular Teeth With Preventive Resin Restoration Among Children With Mixed Dentition

“…Dental caries is recognised to be the most prevalent infectious disease globally [1]. It affects all age groups and most commonly children between 6-12 year old involving both primary and permanent teeth [2]. Dental caries is a multifactorial microbial infectious disease that is characterized by demineralization of the inorganic and destruction of the organic substance of the tooth resulting in cavitation [3].…”