Comparison of oral and dental health status in patients with or without cleft lip and palate deformities undergoing orthodontic treatment

Abstract

Objective: To compare the oral and dental health in patients with or without cleft lip and palate (CLP) deformities, undergoing orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: The study group comprised fifty patients with CLP. These patients were compared with fifty matched patients (control group) who had no CLP and had undergone orthodontic treatment for other indications at the same institute. Oral hygiene was evaluated clinically according to the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI). Dental caries examination was done according to decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. The scores were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean OHI score in cleft patients was 4.5 and in noncleft patients was 3.9 (P < 0.001).The mean DMFT score was 0.980 in cleft patients and 0.380 in noncleft patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study clearly found that oral and dental health is compromised in CLP patients undergoing orthodontic treatment compared to patients undergoing routine orthodontic treatment. This article also proves that CLP is more predominant in males than in females.