Periodontal Diseases and Dental Caries in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Musculoskeletal disorders in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) affect the general health of the mouth and teeth. This study aimed to determine periodontal and dental diseases in children with CP based on gross motor function level, manual ability level, and subtypes of CP.

This research was a cross-sectional study performed on 123 children (3-18 years old) with CP referred to dentistry and rehabilitation centers supervised by Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2020. They were selected by the convenience sampling method. The children were classified according to the gross motor function classification system: expanded and revised (GMFCS-E&R) for their gross motor function level, according to the manual ability function classification system (MACS) and mini-MACS for the functioning of their hands in handling objects, and according to the quality and topographical pattern of motor impairment for subtypes of CP. The periodontal status of children with CP was evaluated according to the recommendation of the World Health Organization using the community periodontal index and for caries according to the decayed, missing, filled index. All statistical analyses were done by SPSS v. 16.

The results showed significant differences between periodontal disease and sex, age, GMFCS-E&R, MACS, mini-MACS levels, and subtypes of CP (P<0.05). But there were no significant differences between teeth diseases and oral motor skills with sex, age, MACS and mini-MACS, GMFCS-E&R levels, and subtypes of CP (P>0.05). 

Periodontal disease and decayed, missing, filled teeth are common problems in CP children, and the conditions worsen with age and level IV and V of GMFCS-E&R and MACS.