Oral Health Status of Cleft Children in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective To assess dental caries experience, oral hygiene status, periodontal disease, malocclusions and enamel hypoplasia in cleft children in Enugu.

Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of cleft children attending in a Nigerian tertiary hospital, an apex Centre for cleft surgery. A pretested questionnaire was administered by the trained interviewers to record the demographic information. A trained examiner examined all the recruited children for caries, plaque, calculus, gingivitis, malocclusions and enamel hypoplasia, according to WHO guidelines. Data from the questionnaire and clinical examinations were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Version 20.

Results: A total of sixty-two patients affected with CL/P, between the age of 3 and 18 years old were included in the study. The mean age was 9.8years ± 11.20. There were 58.1% males (n = 36) and 41.9% females (n = 26). 48.4% (n = 30) children were affected with CL, 37.1% (n = 23) had CLP and 14.5% (n = 9) had CP. Most of them were unilateral cases, 64.5% (n = 40). The prevalence of dental caries in this study was 19.4%. The mean dental caries experience in both the primary and permanent dentition increased with age. Twenty children (32.3%) had good oral hygiene. The mean Oral Hygiene Index Score was 1.9. All the children examined had different degrees of gingival inflammation. 56 (90.3%) require oral hygiene instructions and oral prophylaxis. Enamel hypoplasia were minimal and affected all age groups. 90% of all the children examined had various forms of malocclusion.

Conclusion: The oral health status of cleft children in Enugu is poor. This underlines the need for a more vigorous approach to maintenance of good oral health amongst cleft patients, thereby preventing oral diseases.