Oral Health Status of Children with Cerebral Palsy attending Center for Individuals with Special Health care Needs

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess and compare the oral health status of cerebral palsy (CP) children attending a day care center for various age groups, gender, and socioeconomic background. Materials and methods: Fifty-one subjects were selected out of which 49 reported. This study was carried out as a part of an oral health camp organized by us and consent was obtained from school authorities before the screening. School authorities provided the needed information during the screening by filling a questionnaire completed by the teachers. All the attending subjects were examined using standard World Health Organization methods and oral health indices to assess dental caries, oral hygiene status. Results: Fifty-one subjects aged 6 to 20 years comprising 65% males and 35% females participated in the study. Over 85% were from parents of poor and middle-level educational background. The mean decayed, missing, filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) index score was seen to significantly increase with age, while there was no significant difference across gender and socioeconomic background. The oral hygiene status was mostly fair and poor for most of the population, while mean oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) had no significant difference for age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries was high for the subjects in this study which increased with age. The results point toward lack of awareness and negligence for oral health care. Clinical significance: The CP children would benefit from modification of diet by educating the parents, improved oral hygiene habits and regular visits to the dentists and steps should be taken to improve that.