title: Caries experience in individuals with cleft lip and/or palate in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the levels of dental caries in subjects with cleft lip and/or palate in China in comparison with controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 380 subjects with cleft lip and/or palate and 339 non cleft control subjects were examined for dental caries using the decayed-missing-filled-teeth (DMFT/dmft) and decayed-missing-filled-surfaces (DMFS/dmfs) index. A questionnaire was used to acquire subjects' living habits and family socioeconomic status.
  
  
  METHODS
  West China Stomatology Hospital, Sichuan University.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals between 3 and 25 years of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caries prevalence and scores for dmft/DMFT and dmfs/DMFS were significantly higher in subjects with cleft palates when compared with the non cleft control group (p < .05), except 3- to 5-year-old children (p > .05). However, in the 3- to 5-year-old group, children with cleft lip and/or palate had significantly more caries than children of the same age with only a cleft lip with or without alveolus (p < .05). Children whose clefts had been surgically repaired had a lower dmft and dmfs than those whose clefts had not been surgically repaired (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with oral cleft are at an increased risk for dental caries. The types of cleft and the surgical repair are two important factors for dental caries.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedical Engineering, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Wan Chun
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ji Yao
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications*; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult