Characteristics of dental arches and occlusion in children born prematurely. A case-control study.

AIM: To determine if there are differences between the dental arch dimensions and occlusal characteristics of children born prematurely and admitted into a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (study group) and children born at term (control group). The study group was analysed at the same time in order to find out if the parameters of the dental arches are related to specific perinatal variables. MATERIALS: Study design: Out of a total of 504 children born between 2011 and 2014 in high-risk conditions at the clinic of the University Hospital "San Cecilio" in Granada (Spain), 78 children were selected. Of these 42 had been born prematurely and admitted to the NICU (study group) and 36 had been born at term (control group). The age of the sample was 5 to 8 years. The parameters of the dental arches, together with the occlusal characteristics, were examined using dental casts. Both the upper and lower arches were measured for a total of 156 dental casts with a FINO digital caliper. CONCLUSION: The data confirm the smaller size of the dental arch dimensions of children born prematurely and admitted to a NICU compared with children born at term. This fact should be taken into consideration with regard to future orthodontic and paediatric dentistry treatments.

Oral health status of a population with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the oral treatment needs of a sample of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the Community of Madrid (Spain). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out with a sample of 64 patients who were aged 25 to 77 years. They were distributed into homogeneous age groups: < 46 years, 46-54 years and > 54 years. In order to evaluate the oral health status and treatment requirements, the parameters and guidelines of the WHO were used. RESULTS: The prevalence of caries was 100%, or very close in all three groups. As age increased, the morbidity rate decreased, but the mortality rate increased considerably. On analyzing gingival health, 65% of patients had calculus, 5% bleeding and 30% were healthy. CONCLUSIONS: The DMFT index found provided data that was, in general, very similar to that of the general population in Spain. However, the gingival health status found demonstrated that the population of multiple sclerosis patients requires specific assistance.