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.
Objective: Health care providers in emergency settings encounter emotional issues
in treating traumatic dental injuries TDIs which may have a significant negative impact on
the quality of life. Assessing OHRQoL of children with TDIs, in emergency,
promote a
shift from traditional dental management to a more supportive care that focuses on a
person’s social and emotional status and physical functioning in which appropriate health
care and optimal outcomes can be obtained. The objective of this study is to investigate the
impact of TDIs on the quality of life of 7to16-year-old Syrian school children and to test
whether treatment of TDI will improve their OHRQoL.
Basic research design:A case-control study was carried out involving 147children
aged 7 to 16 years attending the Department of Pediatric Dentistry in Damascus
University. Andreasen classification was adopted for TDI diagnosis. CPQ11-14 instrument
was utilized to assess OHRQoL.
Results: Findings of this study revealed significant differences in OHRQoL items
before and after treatment of participating children. There were no statistically significant
differences between healthy children and those who were treated with TDI in regard to the
overall OHRQoL (P > 0.05).
Conclusions: OHRQoL was significantly improved in children with TDIs after
treatment. Oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional and social well-being were
similar to healthy children. Health professionals in Syria should put efforts to make war
less damaging for children and their parents. Dentistry during the crisis goes beyond filling
and drilling of injured teeth to a moral commitment within a supportive and caring context.
