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Published on: November 16, 2016
Oral Streptococcus mutans load among Indian children with cerebral palsy
Aniruddh Gandhi1, Subhash Sonkesriya2, Shovan Roy3
1Department of Dentistry, Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Government Medical College, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, India.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit poorer oral health, including higher rates of cavities and gum disease, compared to healthy children. This necessitates more intensive dental treatments and highlights the need for improved oral hygiene strategies for this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) motor impairments significantly affect oral health management.
- Poor oral hygiene, sugary diets, and medications increase risks for dental caries and periodontal disease in children with CP.
- A cycle of poor dental health exacerbates therapy demands and impacts overall well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the oral health status, caries activity (via Streptococcus mutans levels), and treatment needs of children with CP versus healthy controls.
- To evaluate oral hygiene, malocclusion, trauma, and gingival health in both groups.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 204 children, with 102 diagnosed with CP (Category A) and 102 healthy controls (Category B).
- Oral examinations included assessments of malocclusion, trauma, DMFS/defs, gingival index, and Oral Hygiene Index (OHI).
- Salivary Streptococcus mutans concentrations were measured to assess caries activity.
Main Results:
- Children with CP showed significantly higher DMFS (decayed, missing, filled teeth) in permanent teeth and poorer oral hygiene scores.
- The gingival condition was markedly worse in the CP group compared to controls.
- Elevated Streptococcus mutans levels in CP patients indicated active and progressing dental caries.
Conclusions:
- Children with cerebral palsy face significant oral health challenges, including increased caries prevalence and poorer hygiene.
- CP necessitates more complex dental interventions like stainless steel crowns, pulpectomy, and extractions.
- Targeted preventative care and improved oral hygiene strategies are crucial for children with CP to mitigate dental disease progression.
Abstract:
The motor impairments of cerebral palsy (CP) are typically accompanied by subsequent musculoskeletal issues, seizures, and abnormalities of sensation, intelligence, communication, and behaviour. These kids have a lower capacity for regulating oral health because of their poor voluntary movements. Poor oral hygiene brought on by insufficient brushing and flossing, increased use of sugary foods, and orally administered drugs puts people at risk for periodontal disorders and dental caries. Poor dental health and rising therapy demands establish a sadistic cycle that affects patient overall health and wellbeing. The purpose of this investigation was comparing kids with CP against healthy kids of comparable age group and demographic situation in order to evaluate status of oral heath, current caries behavior using measurement of Streptococcus mutans concentrations in saliva, and treatment required. 204 study participants were divided into two categories: Category A and category B. Both categories consisted of 102 study participants. Category A consisted of study participants having CP while category B consisted of healthy normal controls with same age of same demographic features. Malocclusion, trauma, DMFS/defs, gingival index, and Oral hygiene score (OHI), and were recorded for oral examinations of al study participants However, no radiological assistance was utilized since minimal patient compliance existed in CP patients. When compared with the control category, the CP category had a higher detection of the DMFS index in the permanent teeth. The estimated defs for the CP category did not differ noticeably from the control category. In the CP category, status of hygiene of oral cavity was discovered to be substantially subpar. In comparison to the control category, the gingival condition of the CP category was noticeably worse. Treatment requirements were seen to require greater preventative care in the control category while, stainless steel crowns, pulpectomy and extractions were needed in the CP category. S. mutans was found in high concentrations in the salivary specimens of the CP category compared to the control category, indicating active dental caries and greater probability of further development.
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