Tooth Decay is More Prevalent in Patients with Cleft Lip and or Palate
Tooth decay is more prevalent in patients with cleft lip and or palatePatients with cleft lip and or palate have a higher prevalence of tooth decay and cavities, also called dental caries, than their siblings without clefts, according to
Tooth decay is more prevalent in patients with cleft lip and/or palate
Patients with cleft lip and/or palate have a higher prevalence of tooth decay and cavities, also called dental caries, than their siblings without clefts, according to a new report published in The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal.
In this study, conducted at Damascus University of Syria, 53 patients with clefts aged 12 to 29 years were compared with 53 sex- and age-matched siblings without clefts. All subjects underwent the same dental examination without x-rays.
Dental caries scores were calculated according to decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth. Eighty-five percent of the patients with clefts exhibited a moderate or high dental caries score, compared with only 43% of the control subjects.
Based on these differences among siblings, the author asserts that, independent of socioeconomic status, cleft patients are more susceptible to dental caries, and therefore “the implementation of special dental caries preventive programs should be encouraged in approaching cleft lip and/or palate patients.”
Such prevention is especially important because of the large number of children born with cleft lip and/or palate. Cleft lip and palate is the most frequently occurring birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 7,000 children yearly, or 1 in every 600 newborns.
To read the entire article, “Comparison of Dental Caries Prevalence in Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Palate and Their Sibling Controls,” visit http://www2.allenpress.com/pdf/cpcj-46-05-529-531.pdf.
About The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal
The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal is an international, interdisciplinary journal reporting on clinical and research activities in cleft lip/palate and other craniofacial anomalies, together with research in related laboratory sciences. It is the official publication of the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association (ACPA). For more information, visit http://www.acpa-cpf.org/.
