The effect of dietary pancreatin supplements on dental caries and on the composition of saliva in caries-susceptible rats

Oral Health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis

PURPOSE

To compare the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of 8- to 12-year-old children and 13- to 17-year-old adolescents diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Participants were recruited from a Midwest CF center. Parents provided demographic information and their assessment of the child's health. Patients completed the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP).

RESULTS

Thirty-nine child-parent pairs participated. Fifty four percent of the patients were male, 87% Caucasian, and 56% adolescent, with 66% of families reporting an annual income of over $100,000. Excellent or very good health, including oral health, was reported by 67% of the patients. Individuals taking 10 or more medications reported better OHRQoL while Caucasians reported better oral health and total scores than other races. Adolescents had poorer total COHIP, social-emotional well-being, and self-image scores.

CONCLUSION

Although most patients reported good or excellent oral health, adolescents reported a poorer OHRQoL than younger patients.

Oral health and related factors in cystic fibrosis and other chronic respiratory disorders

AIM

To compare the prevalence of dental caries, dental calculus, and enamel defects in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and children with other chronic respiratory disorders.

METHODS

A cross sectional observational survey. One examiner (AN) undertook oral examinations to assess dental caries, periodontal health, and enamel defects in children attending respiratory outpatient clinics.

RESULTS

A total of 74 patients with CF (35 male; mean age 10.7 years, range 2.5-16.5) were compared with a control group of 106 patients with other chronic respiratory disorders (52 male; mean age 9.1 years, range 3.0-16.5). There were significantly more defects of enamel in the permanent teeth of CF patients, compared with the teeth of those children with other chronic respiratory disorders. In addition, non-significant trends towards a lower caries prevalence in both dentitions, increased numbers of sextants with calculus deposits, and a reduced number of healthy gingival sextants were observed in the patients with cystic fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Enamel defects, particularly enamel opacities, which can be disfiguring, are more common in CF patients. Early, regular dental visits may prevent such defects becoming dentally disabling and would also permit the removal of dental calculus deposits. The use of long term antibiotics and pancreatic enzymes may confer some protection against the development and progression of dental caries in patients with cystic fibrosis. The inclusion of a specialist paediatric dentist, as part of the multiprofessional team managing the care of these children, would be an advantage.

Physiological basis of cystic fibrosis: a historical perspective

Physiological Basis of Cystic Fibrosis: A Historical Perspective. Physiol. Rev. 79, Suppl.: S3-S22, 1999. - Cystic fibrosis made a relatively late entry into medical physiology, although references to conditions probably reflecting the disease can be traced back well into the Middle Ages. This review begins with the origins of recognition of the symptoms of this genetic disease and proceeds to briefly review the early period of basic research into its cause. It then presents the two apparently distinct faces of cystic fibrosis: 1) as that of a mucus abnormality and 2) as that of defects in electrolyte transport. It considers principal findings of the organ and cell pathophysiology as well as some of the apparent conflicts and enigmas still current in understanding the disease process. It is written from the perspective of the author, whose career spans back to much of the initial endeavors to explain this fatal mutation.

Tetracycline discoloration, enamel defects, and dental caries in patients with cystic fibrosis

The prevalence, distribution, and interrelationship between tetracycline discoloration, enamel defects, and dental caries was determined in 86 patients with cystic fibrosis (age 3 to 24 years). The dental caries experience was compared to control subjects matched for sex, race, exposure to optimally fluoridated water, chronologic age, and dental age. The findings indicate a high prevalence of tetracycline discolorations and enamel defects but a significantly reduced dental caries experience in these patients. However, interrelationships between these three factors were not strikingly evident. The presence of an altered oral health status in cystic fibrosis patients and the increased prevalence of this disease due to recent therapeutic and diagnostic advances in its management suggest the need for further familiarization with the dental manifestations of cystic fibrosis.

Oral health of patients with cystic fibrosis and their siblings

Caries prevalence, oral hygiene index, submandibular gland hypertrophy, occlusion, dental hypoplasia, and staining of permanent teeth were evaluated in 63 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who were maintained on a regimen of broad-spectrum antibiotics and oral pancreatin, and the findings were compared with those of their near-aged siblings. Gland hypertrophy and dental staining were increased in patients with CF whereas caries was significantly decreased. No other significant differences were found.