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Review
. 2023 Dec 9;15(12):e50246.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.50246. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Navigating Oral Hygiene Challenges in Spastic Cerebral Palsy Patients: A Narrative Review for Management Strategies for Optimal Dental Care

Sucharitha Palanisamy  1 , Priyanka Cholan  1 , Lakshmi Ramachandran  1 , Anupama Tadepalli  1 , Harinath Parthasarsthy  1 , Santo G Umesh  1
Affiliations
Review

Navigating Oral Hygiene Challenges in Spastic Cerebral Palsy Patients: A Narrative Review for Management Strategies for Optimal Dental Care

Sucharitha Palanisamy et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

In the realm of well-being, the essence of maintaining optimal oral health is gaining more recognition. This quantifying quotient is being compromised in cerebral palsy (CP) patients due to multitude variations. Spastic CP predominantly impacts bodily motions, muscle synchronization, command, muscle tone, reflexes, stance, equilibrium, and can additionally influence both delicate and large-scale motor abilities. For individuals with spastic CP, the rigidity extends its influence over both their upper and lower limbs. When this stiffness takes hold in the upper limb, it poses significant challenges in executing everyday activities, causing issues with precise grasping and coordination of muscle movements. Consequently, using a toothbrush effectively becomes a formidable task resulting in widespread caries and periodontal diseases in spastic CP patients. The central focus of this review is to explore the oral health challenges of spastic cerebral palsy patients and mapping out a path towards the most efficient time-tested and innovative dental management approaches for preserving oral health in these patients.

Keywords: cerebral palsy; intellectual disability; oral health management; spasticity; toothbrush modifications.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Predisposing factors and oral manifestations in spastic cerebral palsy (CP) patients.
Image credit: Self-made figure by the author.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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