Severity of malocclusion in patients with cerebral palsy: determinant factors.
BACKGROUND
Our aims in this study were to compare the biopsychosocial aspects of patients with cerebral palsy and subjects in a control group, establish the severity of malocclusion, and identify determinant factors.


METHODS
The group with cerebral palsy included 60 patients diagnosed with the spastic form of the disease. The control group included 60 randomly selected healthy subjects with various malocclusions. Data were collected through questionnaires, medical charts, and clinical evaluations. The criteria of the dental aesthetic index were used for the diagnosis of malocclusion. Comparisons between groups and between the independent variables and dependent variable (severity of malocclusion) were performed by using the chi-square test (P ≤ 0.05) and multivariate logistic regression (forward stepwise procedure).


RESULTS
Significant differences between the groups were found for these variables: tooth loss, overjet, anterior open bite, facial type, breathing pattern, drooling, difficulty in swallowing, and lip incompetence.


CONCLUSIONS
The main risk factors associated with the severity of malocclusion were cerebral palsy, mouth breathing, lip incompetence, and long face.
Miamoto
Cristina Batista
CB
Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Vale do Rio Verde (UNINCOR), Três Corações, Brazil; private practice, Diamantina, Brazil.
Ramos-Jorge
Maria Letícia
ML
Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Pereira
Luciano José
LJ
Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Vale do Rio Verde (UNINCOR), Três Corações, Brazil; private practice, Diamantina, Brazil.
Paiva
Saul Martins
SM
Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Pordeus
Isabela Almeida
IA
Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Marques
Leandro Silva
LS
Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Vale do Rio Verde (UNINCOR), Três Corações, Brazil; private practice, Diamantina, Brazil. Electronic address: lsmarques21@yahoo.com.br.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003625:Data Collection; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000002:abnormalities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000503:physiopathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012798:Sialorrhea / Q000150:complications; D014716:Vertical Dimension