Clinical and Microbiological Evaluation of the Periodontal Status of Children with Unilateral Complete Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract

Objective To compare periodontal conditions in children with and without cleft. Design Clinical examinations and microbiological analysis of 57 selected children, including 30 with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (experimental group) and 27 without clefts (control group). Setting Hospital of Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies (HRCA) in Bauru, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Patients, Participants All children examined were healthy and between the ages of 5 and 6 years. Results The mean plaque index (PI) in the experimental group was higher (1.82 ± 0.3) than in the control group (1.63 ± 0.38), although this difference was not statistically significant. The mean gingival index (GI) in the experimental group (1.82 ± 0.38) was found to be significantly higher (p < .05) than that of the control group (0.79 ± 0.33). The cleft area in the experimental group, with a mean PI of 2.04 ± 0.58 and mean GI of 1.11 ± 0.26, compared with the posterior area, with a mean PI of 1.74 ± 0.37 and mean GI of 1.04 ± 0.26, showed a statistically significant difference only in the PI. Most of the children in both experimental and control groups presented a moderate PI degree (73.33% and 81.48%, respectively) and a high prevalence of mild gingivitis (53.33% and 70.37%, respectively). Analysis of the organisms showed that Prevotella nigrescens was detected in 16.67% of the experimental group and 11.11% of the control, whereas Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola were not detected. Conclusion Children with clefts showed greater gingival inflammation, despite the same amount of plaque and prevalence of microorganisms.