ORAL HEALTH OF DOWN SYNDROME CHILDREN IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Oral health characteristics in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

AIM

To compare oral health indicators of children/adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) with a group of children/adolescents without DS.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This cross-sectional study included 144 individuals with DS, ages 4 to 18 years, matched for age and sex with a group of 144 individuals without DS, and their parents/caregivers. Parents/caregivers completed a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic information and habits related to their children's oral health. Clinical examination of the children/adolescents evaluated dental caries experience (DMFT/dmft), bleeding on periodontal probing, presence of visible plaque, clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (PUFA/pufa), and malocclusion (DAI). The chi-square test, linear by linear test, and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the variables between the groups (p < .05). Children/adolescents without DS brushed their teeth more times per day (p < .001) and had a higher frequency of daily sugar intake (p < .001). The children/adolescents in the DS group had a greater presence of gingival bleeding (p < .001) and had a greater number of cases of "severe malocclusion" and "very severe malocclusion" (p = .001). No difference was found in the prevalence of dental caries between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

The children/adolescents in the DS group had a greater presence of gingival bleeding during the clinical examination and had a greater need for orthodontic treatment.

The relationship between parents' oral hygiene knowledge and children with Down Syndrome's oral hygiene via OHI-S

Background: Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder responsible for mental and development retardation. DS occurs when a person has an extra chromosome (47 instead of 46), the third copy of the Trisomy 21 chromosome. This causes structural and functional anomalies in the human body and some degree of intellectual disability. Children with DS have poor oral hygiene as they are unable to understand and are unaware of its importance. Oral hygiene problems commonly found in children with DS are gingivitis, periodontal problems, pain, infection, and problems with the masticatory system. This study explored the relationship between parents' knowledge and maintenance of the oral hygiene of children with DS through the OHI-S (Oral Hygiene Index Simplified) Index Score. Method: This study was conducted by distributing 25 questions via Google Form to 100 subjects that belong to POTADS (Down Syndrome Parents Association. The participants were children diagnosed with Down Syndrome and their parents. Questionnaires were used to assess parents' knowledge about their child's oral hygiene. To assess the children's oral hygiene, dental exams were performed with the OHI-S on six tooth surfaces. To calculate the OHI-S score for each individual, the debris and calculus scores from the 6 surfaces of the teeth were totalled and divided by six. Results: The relationship between parents' knowledge and the maintenance of oral hygiene of children with DS was found by conducting a linear regression analysis and hypothetical test. The equation of Y = 77.734 + (-7.377) X was achieved through linear regression analysis, and indicated that a 1% increase in parents' knowledge caused a reduction in OHI-S score to 7.377. The hypothetical test showed that parents' knowledge affected their children's OHI-S score significantly. Conclusion: There was a significant contradictive relationship between parents' knowledge and the maintenance of oral hygiene of children with DS .

The relationship between parents' oral hygiene knowledge and children with Down Syndrome's oral hygiene via OHI-S

Background: Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder that causes structural, functional anomalies, and intellectual disability. The common oral hygiene problems found in DS children are gingivitis, periodontal problems, pain, infection, and problems with the masticatory system. This study explored the relationship between parents' oral hygiene knowledge and oral hygiene of children with DS.   Method: This was an observational analytical study. To assess parents' oral hygiene knowledge, a questionnaire consisting of 25 questions was distributed to 100 parents whose DS children in POTADS (Down Syndrome Parents Association) Surabaya. To assess the DS children's oral hygiene, dental exams were performed to calculate the individual Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) scores by dividing the sum of the individual debris and calculus scores by six (the number of teeth examined). The data were analysed using regression analysis. Results: There was a significant and strong inverse relationship between parents' oral hygiene knowledge and DS children's oral hygiene. Parents' oral hygiene knowledge affected DS children's oral hygiene. The results of the regression analysis indicated that a 1% increase in parents' knowledge caused a reduction in the OHI-S score to 7.377. Conclusion: A significant inverse relationship between parents' oral hygiene knowledge and DS children's oral hygiene was observed in this study. Further studies could be conducted to determine other variables that my influence both parents' oral hygiene knowledge and DS children's oral hygiene.

Oral Health Status of Down's Syndrome Patients in Aseer, Saudi Arabia

Introduction:

It was observed that compared to the general population, mentally challenged subjects have higher rates of poor oral hygiene. Gingivitis is a common finding with moderate or severe variety reported most commonly. Periodontal disease is the most significant oral health problem, which can even lead to mobility of tooth and tooth loss. It is essential to generate oral health precautionary agendas and familiarize it with them.

Materials and Methods:

Four Centres of rehabilitation in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia were included and subjects of 3–24 year age group was examined. Written informed consent was obtained from directors of Centres. Caries, oral hygiene status, soft-tissue and hard-tissue lesions were evaluated and statistically analyzed.

Results:

Higher Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth score was observed in the present study in contrast to many other studies. Periodontal disease was seen in higher age group with higher percentages. Poor oral hygiene was seen in 27.3% of males and 66.7% of females. Tongue lesions comprised 85.7%, which accounted for the major part of soft-tissue abnormality. Various occlusal abnormalities (75%) and developmental tooth disturbances (53.6%) constitute the higher portion in hard-tissue abnormality.

Conclusion:

Dentists should be conscious of the range of oral anomalies that can manifest in this group of the patients. The microbial or serological investigation was not done which could have explained the etiology behind these lesions. In spite of these confines, the survey result have provided information regarding the oral health status of Down's syndrome subjects and the necessity of focusing on oral health need.

Oral Health Status among Children with Down Syndrome in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health status in Down syndrome (DS) children in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 106 DS children (mean age = 9.3 ± 2.8) and 125 healthy children (mean age = 11.7 ± 4.4) were recruited from both special needs centers and private/public schools in Dubai. A dental examination for decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) in deciduous dentition/DMFT in permanent dentition indices, simplified oral hygiene index, calculus index (CI), were carried out. In addition, occlusal, dentofacial, soft-tissue abnormalities, and erosion were assessed. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS for Windows, version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

Results:

The mean number of DMFT in DS children was significantly higher than that in healthy children. DS children in the primary dentition group had higher restorative index and Met Need Index scores than the control group. On the other hand, CI was found to be significantly higher among children with DS compared to healthy controls (P < 0.004). DS children had a significantly higher proportion of open bite and other occlusal problems. Class III molar angle malocclusion was significantly higher in DS (66%) compared to controls (11.2%). Erosion was significantly higher among DS children compared to healthy control (34% vs. 15.3%).

Conclusions:

DS children in Dubai had higher caries rate compared to healthy children. DS group received more restorations and dental treatment compared to the control group. More to add, DS children had significantly more calculus, erosion, and malocclusion problems.