Aim of study: Evaluating the oral health status of children with congenital heart
disease in comparison with the healthy children in Lattakia city.
Materials and Methods: A total of 100 children aged between 5 and 12 years
attending the pediatric
clinic of AL-Assad Hospital-Lattakia were included. The study
group was consisted of 50 children diagnosed with heart disease. The control group was
consisted of 50 healthy children of the same age and gender. Dental caries, plaque,
gingivitis and developmental enamel defects were assessed for each child in the two
groups.
Results: Mean dmft, gingivitis and plaque were significantly higher in the cardiac
group as compared to the control group. Statistically, no significant differences were found
in the comparison between the prevalence of developmental enamel defects and mean
DMFT for the two groups.
Conclusion: Children with congenital heart disease had a poor oral health compared
to the healthy children, which increased the risk of susceptibility to bacteremia and
development of infective endocarditis. Therefore, dental care for children with heart
disease must be seriously considered at an early age when the first tooth erupts.
