Oral health in patients with cystic fibrosis

Abstract

The oral health in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is not well studied. Aim: In this context, we describe the frequency of dental problems and performed the description of plaque index and gingival index in patients with CF. Methods: We performed a descriptive study about oral health enrolling 94 patients with CF. Results: The CF diagnosis was done considering the sweat test with chloride values ≥ 60 mmol/L. The permanent dentition was predominant in 57/94 (60.64%) patients with CF – 28/57 (49.12%) caries, 57/57 (100%) filled teeth and 1/57 (1.75%) missing tooth. Deciduous teeth occurred in 37/94 (39.36%) patients with CF – 22/37 (59.46%) carious, 29/37 (78.38%) exfoliated teeth, 20/37 (54.05%) filled teeth. Also, the plaque index and gingival index had scored less than one in many cases (≥ 50% of the cases). Conclusions: Patients with CF showed oral health problems with prevalence comparable to that of the normal population and low values in the plaque index and gingival index.

Keywords

• Cystic fibrosis. Dental caries. Periodontal index. Oral health. Dental plaque index.