Dentofacial changes and oral health status in individuals with Down syndrome in Jordan - cross sectional study

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the various dentofacial anomalies and oral health status associated with Down Syndrome patients in Jordan. The study was carried out on 53 individuals with Down Syndrome from private institute of rehabilitation for disabled children in Amman, Jordan. There were 15[28.3%] females and 38[71.7%] males. The age of the patients ranged from 7-16 years with meanage of 11.09+2.74 years. Medical history and relevant information were obtained from individual's file. Clinical levels of oral hygiene status were assessed using simplified oral hygiene index and caries detection was according to WHO caries recording criteria and compared to historic caries incidence in normal children with similar age group in Jordan. The prevalence of dentofacial anomalies [hypertelorism, flat nasal bridge, macroglossia, fissured tongue, high arched palate, and malocclusion] was recorded. A total of 60.4% of the DownSyndrome patients practiced good oral hygiene, 56.6% were affected with dental caries. The mean caries experience indices were [1.84]. All Down Syndrome patients had one or more form of dentofacial abnormality; 94.3% had flat nasal bridge, 90.6% showed hypertelorism, 75.5% had high arched palate, 69.8% showed fissured tongue, 62.3% had macroglossia, 18.9% showed delayed eruption and 45.3% showed malocclusion. DMFT and dmft in Down syndrome patients were significantly lower compared to those in normal children in Jordan. Individuals with Down syndrome in Jordan showed better oral health in younger age group but as they became older, dental caries and poor oral hygiene became more prevalent