Oral health status of individuals with cerebral palsy at a nationally recognized rehabilitation center

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a set of nonprogressive neuromuscular disorders caused by defects in the developing fetal brain. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and distribution of various dental conditions including dental caries and periodontitis among individuals with CP who receive care at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center dental clinic. Medical records of 478 patients between the ages of 3 and 78 years were reviewed. Patients were divided into four age groups: 3-20, 21-35, 36-55, and 56 and above year old. Data related to their dental conditions including caries, periodontitis, and other oral diseases were assessed. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate the correlations between these oral diseases and age, gender, ethnicity as well as their living conditions (home or group home). The 36-55-year-old age group displayed significantly more caries and periodontitis than any other age groups. Individuals aged 3-20 years showed a significantly lower rate of periodontitis and caries. There was no significant association between gender and race with these outcome variables but there was a correlation between these variables and living conditions. Differences in oral health exist among people with CP from different age groups and living conditions. These findings suggest that there is a dire need for more oral hygiene training and education for the care givers. Dental schools should better prepare their graduates to meet the treatment demands of individuals with special healthcare needs.

Oral hygiene and oral status of institutionalized children with motor and intellectual disabilities

“…Various indices have been used to evaluate the periodontal status of children with motor and intellectual disabilities. It has been reported that the prevalence of gingivitis is relatively high in institutionalized children who receive adequate oral healthcare [22,34,37], and this is true for the children examined in the present study. Several factors contribute to the development of periodontal disease: hydantoin (which causes gingival hyperplasia), dry mouth, open bite, high viscosity of saliva, hypofunction of tongue movement, and difficulty in oral hygiene management [27,37].…”

“…Dental caries is considered a common problem in children with neurological impairments [31], and some studies reported that the prevalence of dental caries in children with CP was similar to or lower than that in children in the general population [22,32]. The low caries rate in children with CP can be partly attributed to effective oral hygiene strategies for children with disabilities, including those with neurological impairments [33,34], although prevention of dental caries in patients with neurological impairments is still a major problem in some developing countries [35]. Patients with feeding tubes have been described as being at low risk for dental caries even with limited oral hygiene practice because they do not take food orally [36].…”

“…Several factors contribute to the development of periodontal disease: hydantoin (which causes gingival hyperplasia), dry mouth, open bite, high viscosity of saliva, hypofunction of tongue movement, and difficulty in oral hygiene management [27,37]. Aging is also a common factor that needs to be considered in taking preventive action against periodontal disease because the prevalence of periodontal disease tends to be higher in older children [34]. Because tube feeding is a cause of unusual accumulation of calculi [18], children institutionalized at KNI for years have to be managed as a group at high risk for periodontal disease.…”

Parental Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Caries Status of Sudanese Cerebral Palsy Children

“…Consequently, oral health is a significant challenge, as individuals with CP are more prone to developing caries and periodontal disease, mouth-breathers and suffer from malocclusion, skeletal class II and anterior open bite. No intraoral anomalies are unique to persons with cerebral palsy but oral conditions are more severe than the general population [3,6,7].…”

Oral Health Status among Girls with Developmental Disabilities: A Cluster Analysis

“…In addition, the drugs used in the treatment of epilepsy and seizures may have a negative impact in the oral health [3]. These negative results are not common to all groups of patients with cerebral palsy and vary according to the region and the country in which the individual lives [1,4].…”