Oral health of children with gastro-esophageal reflux disease: a controlled study.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to compare the dental health of children with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) with a healthy control group.


METHODS
Dental examinations were conducted for 52 children (31 boys and 21 girls) with a definitive history of GERD. For every subject enrolled in the study, a healthy control sibling without the condition was recruited. Medical histories were obtained from medical records, and dental and dietary histories were obtained from parents. The teeth were examined for erosion, dental caries, and enamel hypoplasia, and sampled for Streptococcus mutans.


RESULTS
The prevalence of erosion by teeth was found to be statistically significant between GERD patients (14 per cent) and controls (10 per cent) (p<0.05). GERD patients had erosion in more permanent teeth compared to controls (4 per cent vs 0.8 per cent, p<0.05), and more severe erosion (p<0.05). Caries experience was also higher in GERD patients compared to controls (p<0.05). Although there were more subjects with Streptococcus mutans in the GERD group compared to the control group (42 per cent vs 25 per cent), the difference was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with GERD have more erosion and dental caries compared to healthy controls and should be targeted for increased preventive and restorative care.
The University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, Brisbane, Australia. k.seow@mailbox.uq.edu.au
V
V
Linnett
W K
WK
Seow
F
F
Connor
R
R
Shepherd
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003744:Dental Enamel Hypoplasia / Q000209:etiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000254:growth & development; D014059:Tongue / Q000382:microbiology; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000209:etiology
D019422:Dietary Sucrose