EVALUATION OF ORAL STATUS IN CHILDREN INFECTED WITH MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS

Abstract

Background : Pulmonary tuberculosis is one of the most common cause that leads to death in the world, about a third of world’s population being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Oral manifestations of tuberculosis are rare and more common in young people and the connections that may occur between tuberculosis and the incidence of dental caries are determined mainly by socio-economic conditions and also long-term treatment with drugs that contain large amounts of sugar. Material and methods: The study was performed examining two groups of children selected on inclusion criteria such as positive tuberculin skin test and a minimum 10-14 days of specific treatment for tuberculosis, both being compared with a control group. At the same time the odontal status was evaluated by determining the DMFT index and caries intensity index. The muco-periodontal status was evaluated by assessing the presence, types and extent of oral lesions. Results : The data obtained showed that there is an increased degree of caries index among the children diagnosed with tuberculosis compared to the control group and oral lesions have a low incidence among the study groups, which means that oral manifestations are reduced in children and also, the oral mucosa is rarely a gateway for microorganisms, such as Koch bacillus. Conclusions: There is an indirect correlation between the presence of dental caries and tuberculosis in children, an increased caries index being a direct consequence of poor oral hygiene and a low socio-economic status associated with a specific medication for tuberculosis rich in sugar administered orally to children as syrups.

Keywords

• tuberculosis
• dental decay
• caries index
• socio-economic status