Periodontal status and oral hygiene in two populations of cleft patients

To evaluate and compare the oral hygiene and periodontal status in children with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate treated in Łódź, Poland, and Erlangen, Germany.

Oral health was assessed by the presence of dental plaque, pocket depth, clinical attachment levels, and pathologic teeth mobility.

Thirty-seven Polish and 63 German patients participated in this study.

Poor oral hygiene was found in 57% of all subjects. In Erlangen, 60% of patients had optimal oral hygiene, compared to 19% in Łódź. The highest scores for dental plaque were noted in both groups in the cleft region. Healthy periodontium was significantly more frequent among German patients, whereas gingival bleeding was significantly more frequent among Polish patients. Pocket depths greater than 6 mm occurred only in German subjects. No statistically significant difference was observed between the amount of tooth areas with gingival recessions and the country of origin. Periodontal pockets deeper than 3.5 mm occurred more frequently during active orthodontic treatment.

The oral hygiene regimens in Germany and Poland were not comparable, as more plaque was found in the Polish than in the German population. Plaque accumulation seems not to be a key factor in causing periodontal destruction in the cleft area. Factors other than oral hygiene should be considered of major importance in relation to the development of gingival recession on teeth in cleft areas.