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. 2017 May;21(4):1299-1307.
doi: 10.1007/s00784-016-1884-2. Epub 2016 Jun 24.

Presence of plaque, gingivitis and caries in Sudanese children with congenital heart defects

Hiba Mohamed Ali  1 , Manal Mustafa  2 , Siham Hasabalrasol  3 , Osama Hafiz Elshazali  4 , Elwalid Fadul Nasir  5 , Raouf Wahab Ali  6 , Ellen Berggreen  7 , Marit Slåttelid Skeie  5
Affiliations

Presence of plaque, gingivitis and caries in Sudanese children with congenital heart defects

Hiba Mohamed Ali et al. Clin Oral Investig. 2017 May.

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the presence of plaque, gingivitis, and caries in a group of Sudanese children with congenital heart defects CHDs (cases) and compare them to children without CHDs (controls).

Materials and methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included cases (N = 111, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 3.0 years) and controls (N = 182, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 2.8 years) from Khartoum, Sudan. Examinations were done by two calibrated dentists using plaque index, gingival index, and WHO (World Health Organization) caries diagnostic criteria (dmft/DMFT index: decayed, missing, and filled teeth).

Results: Children with CHDs (cases) had statistically significantly higher mean number of sites with plaque and gingivitis than children without CHDs (controls), although almost all children experienced plaque. Cases also experienced significantly higher mean dmft/DMFT than controls (age group 1, 3-7 years: 3.7 vs 2.3 and age group 2, 8-12 years: 1.3 vs 0.6). The Significant Caries Indices in cases (age groups 1 and 2) were also significantly higher than among controls (SiC 8.2 vs 5.9 and 1.8 vs 0.8, respectively). Fillings were totally lacking among cases and scarce among controls.

Conclusions: The findings clearly showed that this group of Sudanese children with CHDs was more severely affected with gingivitis and caries than the control group without CHDs. These results are cause for concern in children at risk of developing systemic infections and serious complications related to poor oral health.

Clinical relevance: These findings provide important baseline data for planning appropriate dental preventive strategies for Sudanese children with CHDs.

Keywords: Caries; Children; Congenital heart defects; Gingivitis; Plaque.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

The work was supported by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Clinical Dentistry, University of Bergen.

Ethical approval

The study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and has therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from the guardians of all individual participants included in the study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Lorenz curve for caries distribution (dmft) in age group 1 (3–7 years) in a sample of Sudanese children with and without CHD
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lorenz curve for caries distribution (DMFT) in age group 2 (8–12 years) in a sample of Sudanese children with and without CHD
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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