Oral health of cystic fibrosis patients at a north american center: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe the oral health status of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) children in a US facility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty CF children ages 6-18 were recruited from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Pulmonary Clinic. Parents completed a health questionnaire. Clinical examinations checked dental caries using the dmft/DMFT index, dental hygiene using the Simplified Greene-Vermillion Index (DI-S), gingival inflammation using the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs, and enamel defects using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index. RESULTS: The majority (90%) brush twice a day, 65% consume sugary snacks, and 70% visit the dentist every 6 months. Clinically, they presented DMFT 0.25 and dmft 0.90, fair oral hygiene with DI-S 1.02, 75% had mild gingivitis and 50% had enamel defects. The more antibiotics they took, significantly more frequent (p=0.007) and more severe (p=0.017) enamel defects were noted. Similar trend was found between the number of surgeries and the presence of enamel defects (p=0.076) and dental caries (p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, CF patients were found to be at oral health risk due to the high prevalence of dental enamel defects. Oral health for CF children should be part of the multidisciplinary care. Key words:Cystic fibrosis, oral health, teeth, United States.