Plaque and gingival health status among cerebral palsied children of Riyadh city

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to evaluate and describe the plaque and gingival health status in cerebral palsy [CP] children of Riyadh city. One hundred and forty non-institutionalized CP children [82 males and 58 females] were examined in the dental clinic of the Disabled Children Association Center, Riyadh, for presence of plaque and gingival inflammation. Children were divided into three age groups; the first [3-6 years] consisted of 41 children, second [7-9 years] consisted of 52 children and third [10-12 years] had 47 children. The highest mean plaque index [PI] was recorded for the first group. There was no significant [p>0.05] difference between the three groups examined. The highest mean gingival index [GI] was recorded for the third group which differed significantly from the first [p=0.000] and second [p= 0.001] groups. GI scores were found to be related to the oral hygiene [OH] status of the CP children examined, as the children with poor OH got the highest mean GI followed by children with fair and good OH. Neither PI nor GI scores were affected by the gender of the examined CP children. The CP children examined in this study had mild to moderate plaque accumulation and the gingival inflammation increased as the age of the children increase. Gender had no significant effect on the PI or GI scores obtained, and the GI scores were found to be related to the OH status