Prevalence of Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status among Down's Syndrome Patients in Riyadh City Saudi Arabia
*Mohammed A. Al-Qahtani, BDS
**Thamer A. Al-Khadra, BDS,Cert. Pedo., Cert.Ortho., MS, PhD
Abstract :
Objective: To obtain base line information regarding prevalence of dental caries and oral hygiene status among Down syndrome patients attending rehabilitating centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Sample was collected from six different rehabilitating centers. Two hundred and twenty-four subjects: 57 (3-6 years old), 116 (7-14 years old) and 51 (15-22 years old) were examined for dental caries and oral hygiene status utilizing the WHO criteria for diagnosis of dental caries. Results: In the age group (3-6 years old) the mean dmft scores were 4.72, in the age group (7-14 years old) the mean dmft and DMFT scores were 6.09 and 1.36 for primary and permanent dentition, respectively. In the age group (15-22 years old) the mean dmft and DMFT were 1.53 and 4.12 for both primary and permanent dentition, respectively. Oral hygiene status reported 66.1%, 25.4% and 8.5% for fair, poor and good oral hygiene, respectively. Conclusion: Down syndrome patients show low caries prevalence compared to normal individuals.
* Demonestrator,College of Dentistry , King Saud University , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia
**Consultant Orthodontist , Assistant Professor ,
King saud University ,Riyadh , Saudi Arabia