Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Preventive Oral Hygiene Program for Children with Congenital Heart Disease.

Nelly Schulz-Weidner,Thushiha Logeswaran,Maximiliane Amelie Schlenz,Norbert Krämer,Christian Jux,Julia Camilla Bulski

doi:10.3390/ijerph18073497

Nelly Schulz-Weidner, Thushiha Logeswaran + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073497

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Abstract

It is recognized that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are predisposed to having poorer oral health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary preventive oral hygiene program (POHP) for children with CHD. The aim was the reduction of the incidence of dental caries, as well as improvement of oral hygiene. The total number of participants in this study was 107 children with CHD aged between two to six years. At baseline, these children were compared to a healthy control group (HCG) of 101 children of similar age from five preschools in Giessen, Germany. All examinations were carried out before the introduction of a standardized POHP. The Quigley/Hein Plaque- (QHI), Silness/Loe Gingival- (GI) and Gingival Hyperplasia Index (GHI) were determined. Starting with baseline, the described procedures were repeated in the CHD group during two follow-ups after three and six months. In the first examination, compared to controls, CHD children showed a significantly (p < 0.05) poorer oral hygiene (QHI: 2.6; GI: 0.3; GHI: 0.2). All oral hygiene parameters (QHI, GI, GHI) of the CHD group improved significantly over the whole period of the preventive program (p < 0.05). These results demonstrated an improvement in CHD children involved in a standardized POHP. The data with regard to the general health of these risk patients, including prevention of endocarditis, demonstrate the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach between pediatric cardiologists, pediatricians and dentists.

Highlights

Around 6500 to 8000 children per year in Germany are born with a congenital heart disease (CHD) [1,2]
The mean age for all CHD children was 4.63 ± 1.46 years compared to the healthy control group (HCG) group (4.4 ± 1.21), without a statistical difference between both groups (t-test, p > 0.05)
The results of our study showed a poorer oral hygiene condition within the children with congenital heart disease (CHD) compared to the healthy control group (HCG) at the time of baseline

Summary

Introduction

Around 6500 to 8000 children per year in Germany are born with a congenital heart disease (CHD) [1,2]. The prevalence of tooth decay is significantly higher than in healthy children [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Studies demonstrated that this impairment of oral health has dangerous systemic effects, especially episodes of increased bacteremia in one third of these children [7,10].

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