The Effects of Swallowing Disorders and Oral Malformations on Nutritional Status in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Nutrition plays an important role both from a nutrition and a socio-psychological point of view; this part seems to be even more crucial in cerebral palsy where undernutrition is responsible for an increase in morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of swallowing disorders and oral malformations on the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy. We evaluated 65 patients aged 2 to 17 years using a cross-sectional, descriptive and observational approach. All patients had a definite diagnosis of cerebral palsy. The measurement of anthropometric variables (weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and circumferences) was performed according to recognized techniques and measurements. The Z-score was also calculated using the World Health Organization (WHO) references. The 5-level Gross Motor Function Classification System was used, providing a standardized classification of motor disability patterns for children with cerebral palsy. The population had a median age of 9.25 (4.50–16.00) and was about 53% female. Furthermore, 75% of the patients had a height inferior to 158 cm. The results of our study show that 42 (64.6%) had false routes, 17 (26.2%) had oral-facial malformations and 51 (78.5%) did not have lip prehensions during meals. The results also show that growth retardation is closely related to gross motor function with p = 0.01, as well as all nutritional indices (Z-score weight for age, Z-score height for age and Z-score BMI for age) are affected by swallowing disorders and oral malformations, with statistically significant values < 0.05. In conclusion, a preventive and curative management specific to this population of children with cerebral palsy must be implemented with an interdisciplinary concertation.