Factors Associated with Gingivitis in Children with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Objective: To investigate factors associated with gingivitis in children aged one to 13 years with developmental disabilities. Material and Methods: A total of 408 dental records were used to recover the data. Gingivitis was measured based on the Modified Gingival Index. Other variables were also analysed: gender, age, International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, mouth breathing, history of gastroesophageal reflux, use of psychotropic drugs, reports of dry mouth, history of asthma, use of medications to treat asthma, oral hygiene, dental caries, and filled or missing teeth in deciduous or permanent dentition. For the purposes of this analysis, the individuals were categorized as with and without gingivitis. Variables with a p-value < 0.25 in the bivariate analysis were incorporated into the logistic regression models (ICD, reflux, oral hygiene, primary tooth decay or filling, mouth breathing, dry mouth and use of psychotropic drugs). Results: We found a 14.67% prevalence of gingivitis. Individuals with mouth breathing had a 2.574-fold (95% CI: (1.113-5.950) greater chance of exhibiting gingivitis. Individuals with moderate oral hygiene had a 2.763-fold (95% CI: 1.066 to 7.160) greater chance of exhibiting gingivitis, and individuals with poor oral hygiene had a 15.029-fold (95% CI: 3.705-60.965) greater chance of exhibiting gingivitis than those with good oral hygiene. Conclusion: Moderate or poor oral hygiene and mouth breathing are factors associated with gingivitis in a group of patients with developmental disabilities at a dental service in Belo Horizonte.

What factors contribute to the self-reported oral health status of Arab adolescents? An assessment using a validated Arabic-WHO tool for child oral health (A-OHAT)

“…Potential risk factors related with poor gum condition were identified as: 'fewer visits to oral health care providers', decreased 'frequency of mouth cleaning' and 'not using the toothbrush'. Studies conducted elsewhere have also put forth that poor oral hygiene maintenance is directly related with poor gum condition [24][25][26]. It is to be noted that the dental care in Saudi Arabia is free and managed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) with nearly 314 tertiary hospital and 1756 primary health centers.…”

“…Ironically, the utilization rates of oral health care among the children and adolescents which could act as a potential risk factor for oral health status of the population has not been studied and reported [27]. In addition to the above mentioned factors, some of the previous reports have also mentioned that 'mothers education' and 'family income' are closely associated with gingival inflammation [25]. On the contrary, these factors have not shown any influence on poor gum condition in the current sample.…”

A scoping review of oral health outcomes for people with cerebral palsy

“…Seven oral health outcomes are underrepresented in the literature: soft tissues and tongue, 42,79 disorders of the teeth, 21,24 dental eruption, 80,81 and mouth breathing 82 . Studies in children suggest gastroesophageal reflux disease contributes to significant levels of dental erosion in patients with cerebral palsy 62–64,83,84 .…”

Prevalence of Gingivitis among Malian Children

“…Rico who had reported a prevalence of 80.4% [7]. This high prevalence could be explained by the phenomena related to teething (dental eruption) and with poor oral hygiene [8].…”