Clinical epidemiological characteristics and oral health in pediatric patients with Down syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: people with Down syndrome require special care to perform their oral hygiene, so it is vitally important to know each of the particularities in this type of patient in order to develop correct dental care. Objective: to characterize the clinical-epidemiological variables and oral health in pediatric patients with Down Syndrome treated in stomatology clinics belonging to the Moron municipality, Ciego de Avila. Methods: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out in the period from January to November 2019. We worked with the entire universe, consisting of 31 patients, selected by intentional non-probabilistic sampling. Descriptive statistics were used and absolute and relative percentage frequencies were used as a summary measure of the information. Results: 64,5% belonged to the male sex and 48,4% represented the age group 12-14 years. 100% of the population had dental diseases and 54,8% suffered from some cardiovascular disease. Poor oral hygiene was present in 67,7% of the cases. The predominant oral diseases were dental caries with 77,4% and periodontal disease with 67,7%. Conclusions: there was a predominance of the age group 12-14 years, the male sex and dental diseases. Poor oral hygiene and dental caries were present in most of the patients.