Oral health status of Russian children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Abstract

To evaluate the oral and dental health of Russian children who underwent Frolova primary palatoplasty. Eighty-nine children (62 boys and 27 girls; age range, 5 to 9 years) who had undergone repair of unilateral cleft lip and palate were included in this oral/dental evaluation. Factors such as stage of dentition; oral hygiene; carious, missing and restored teeth; and occlusion were recorded. Twenty-six of the 89 patients presented with a palatal fistula. Oral hygiene of patients without a palatal fistula was significantly better than that of patients with a fistula (p < .01). Forty-five percent of patients had eight or more decayed teeth. Significantly more patients with palatal fistulae had class II soft tissue facial profiles than those without palatal fistulae. Anterior crossbites were found in 48% of patients, unilateral posterior crossbites in 58%, and bilateral posterior crossbites in 12%. The high percentage of poor oral hygiene and dental caries found in this group of patients is likely due to the general unavailability of dental hygiene products and the high cost of these products when available. In addition, it seems there is limited understanding by parents of the importance of dental hygiene and appropriate diet in preventing dental disease.