Oral health of cystic fibrosis patients at a north american center: A pilot study

R Abu-Zahra,Mv Angelopoulou,Nj Antos,T Kump

doi:10.4317/medoral.22756

Abstract

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to describe the oral health status of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) children in a US facility.Material and MethodsTwenty CF children ages 6-18 were recruited from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Pulmonary Clinic. Parents completed a health questionnaire. Clinical examinations checked dental caries using the dmft/DMFT index, dental hygiene using the Simplified Greene-Vermillion Index (DI-S), gingival inflammation using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs, and enamel defects using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index.ResultsThe majority (90%) brush twice a day, 65% consume sugary snacks, and 70% visit the dentist every 6 months. Clinically, they presented DMFT 0.25 and dmft 0.90, fair oral hygiene with DI-S 1.02, 75% had mild gingivitis and 50% had enamel defects. The more antibiotics they took, significantly more frequent (p=0.007) and more severe (p=0.017) enamel defects were noted. Similar trend was found between the number of surgeries and the presence of enamel defects (p=0.076) and dental caries (p=0.028).ConclusionsWithin the limitations of this study, CF patients were found to be at oral health risk due to the high prevalence of dental enamel defects. Oral health for CF children should be part of the multidisciplinary care. Key words:Cystic fibrosis, oral health, teeth, United States.

Highlights

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem autosomal recessive genetic disease [1]
Has the oral health status of the general population changed throughout the years, but the overall health, treatment, and survival of CF patients is drastically different from that time
The following variables were recorded: i) dental caries using the dmft/DMFT index based on the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) [16] criteria; ii) dental hygiene marking plaque levels using the Simplified Greene-Vermillion Dental Plaque Index (DI-S)(17); iii) gingival inflammation using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN)(18); iv) and enamel defects using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index (DDE) [19]. -Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics were used for the oral health status and behaviors of the sample by calculating Median and Interquartile Range or Mean and Standard Deviation

Summary

Introduction

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem autosomal recessive genetic disease [1]. Treatments for CF include aggressive airway clearance therapy and nutrition support, often including regular high calorie snacks, nutritional supplements, and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy [1]. The objective of this study was to describe the oral health status of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) children in a US facility. Results: The majority (90%) brush twice a day, 65% consume sugary snacks, and 70% visit the dentist every 6 months They presented DMFT 0.25 and dmft 0.90, fair oral hygiene with DI-S 1.02, 75% had mild gingivitis and 50% had enamel defects. The more antibiotics they took, significantly more frequent (p=0.007) and more severe (p=0.017) enamel defects were noted. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, CF patients were found to be at oral health risk due to the high prevalence of dental enamel defects. Oral health for CF children should be part of the multidisciplinary care

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