Abstract
The aim of this systematic literature review was to evaluate which type of periodontal preventive and therapeutic approaches presents superior outcomes in patients with Down syndrome (DS). Studies reporting different methods of periodontal care from DS patients were considered eligible. Included clinical studies should indicate at least two periodontal parameters in different periods of assessment. Screening of the articles, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently and in duplicate. Electronic search according to the PICO search, with both Key-words and MESH terms were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases until March 2016. Manual search was conducted in four journals, namely Journal of Periodontology, Journal of Clinical Periodontology, Journal of Periodontal Research and Special Care in Dentistry and their electronic databases were searched. Electronic and manual search resulted in 763 papers, and of them 744 were excluded after title/abstract assessment. The full text of 19 potentially eligible publications was screened and 9 studies met inclusion criteria. The results demonstrated the importance to introduce youngest DS patients in preventive programs, as well as participation of parents, caregivers or institutional attendants in supervising/performing oral hygiene. In studies with higher frequency of attendance, all age groups presented superior preventive and therapeutic results, irrespective of the therapeutic approach used (surgical/nonsurgical/periodontal care program). The important factors for reducing periodontal parameters were the frequency of the appointments and association with chlorhexidine/plaque disclosing agents as adjuvant treatment. This systematic review demonstrated that early introduction in periodontal care, participation of parents/caregivers/institutional attendants, frequency of attendance and association with chemical adjuvants (independently of the periodontal treatment adopted) seems to improve periodontal outcomes in preventive and periodontal treatment of DS patients. Registration number (Prospero): CRD42016038433.
Highlights
Down syndrome (DS) is an autosomal chromosomal anomaly associated with trisomy of chromosome 21 [1]
Primary–evaluation of periodontal parameters related to presence or absence of plaque, calculus and gingival inflammation, i.e, bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI); Secondary–probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), radiographic bone loss (BL)
Electronic and manual search resulted in 763 papers, and of them 744 were excluded after title/ abstract assessment
Summary
Down syndrome (DS) is an autosomal chromosomal anomaly associated with trisomy of chromosome 21 [1]. It is characterized by the whole chromosomal aneuploidy in about 95% of cases. The remaining 5% is in the form of translocations and mosaics [2]. DS is the most common genetic birth defects, affecting approximately one in 700 live births [3,4,5]. According to National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) [6], more than 400.000 individuals with DS live in the United States. Life expectancy for DS patients increased dramatically in recent decades, from 25 years in 1983 to 60 years today [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
