Dental caries and mean values of DMFT among children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

One of the most prevalent causes of physical disability in children is cerebral palsy (CP), which is a series of complicated neurological disorders. Children with cerebral palsy suffer from multiple problems and potential disabilities, including dental caries. Hence, this study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of dental caries and mean DMFT (Decayed, Missed, and Filled Permanent Teeth) among children with cerebral palsy in Africa and Asia.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of the literature was made to locate relevant studies in PubMed/Medline, HINARI, Web of Science, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, the Worldwide Science Database, and Google Scholar. The data were extracted in Microsoft Excel and transferred to Stata version 17 software for further analysis. A random-effect model was employed to estimate the pooled prevalence of dental caries and the pooled mean value of DMFT among children with cerebral palsy in Africa and Asia. Heterogeneity between studies was checked using the Cochrane Q test and I2 test statistics. Sub-group analysis by continent was done, and sensitivity analysis was checked. A small study effect was checked using Egger's statistical test at the 5% level of significance.

RESULTS

In this study, 25 original studies conducted in 17 countries in Africa and Asia that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the review. The overall pooled prevalence of dental caries in Africa and Asia among children with cerebral palsy was 55.6% (95% CI: 42.4, 68.8). The pooled prevalence of dental caries among children with cerebral palsy in Africa was 42.43% (95% CI: 30.39, 54.58), and it was slightly higher in Asia with 64% (95% CI: 48.32, 79.72). In the random effect model analysis, the pooled mean DMFT of dental caries in children with cerebral palsy was 2.25 (95% CI: 1.86, 2.64). The pooled mean DMFT in Africa was 1.47 (95% CI: 0.86, 2.09), and in Asia it was 3.01 (95% CI: 2.43, 3.60).

CONCLUSION

In this study, we found that children with cerebral palsy experienced an alarming rate of dental caries. In these settings, dental caries affected roughly more than half of the children with cerebral palsy. Hence, oral health promotion initiatives should target children with CP, and this group of children must receive early preventive dental care.

The impact of diabetes on visual acuity in Ethiopia, 2021

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Glaucoma is the ocular complication of diabetic illness. In addition to this, retinopathy, maculopathy, ischemic optic neuropathy, extra-ocular muscle palsy, iridocyclitis, and rubeosis iridis were other complications. This study aims to determine the impact of diabetes on visual impairment and blindness among diabetic patients in Ethiopia.

METHODS

This hospital-based cross-sectional study includes 401 samples of diabetic patients in the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from January 2017 to January 2019. The multinomial logistic regression model was employed to identify significant differences among the factor variables.

RESULTS

The magnitude of blindness was 32.17%, and the burden of severe visual impairment was 12.46%. Of the total patients, 120(29.9%) were have diabetic retinopathy of whom, 113(94.2%) were blind either in the right, left, or both eyes and 3 (2.5%) had severe visual impairment. One hundred twenty-six (31.42%) patients developed diabetic maculopathy of whom, 117 (92.85%) were blind either in the right or left eye, and one (0.8%) had severe visual impairment. From the whole diabetic patients, the magnitude of glaucoma was 186(46.38%), and from the patients who developed glaucoma was blind visual impairment 127(68.27%) either in the right or left eye. Thirty-eight (20.34%) had severe visual impairment. Glaucoma was significantly associated with severe visual impairment and blindness (p<0.001). Glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, maculopathy, and type of diabetes are factors for visual impairment.

CONCLUSION

We found that visual impairment in the category of severe and blindness are frequent in Ethiopian diabetic patients. Glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, maculopathy are the main predictive factors that determine the occurrence of blindness.