title: Dental and oral hygiene status in Jordanian children with cleft lip and palate: a comparison between unilateral and bilateral clefts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the dental health and oral hygiene status of subjects with unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Oral and dental examinations were carried out in 98 children with cleft lip and palate and 98 unaffected subjects matching in gender and age, using the standard dental indices dmft and DMFT. Plaque and gingival indices were scored using the plaque and gingival indices of Silness and Löe.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of dental caries was significantly higher in children with cleft lip and palate than their control in both permanent and deciduous teeth. Patients with BCLP experienced more dental caries than unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients in both dentitions. Similarly, plaque accumulation and gingivitis were significantly higher in the cleft lip and palate patients compared with their controls. Only plaque accumulation was significantly higher in the BCLP patients than in the UCLP patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bilateral cleft lip and palate patients appear to be at a higher risk of caries experience and poorer in oral hygiene than those with UCLP patients. These findings not only provide a baseline for oral health parameters in patients with cleft lip and palate but also emphasize the need for intensive preventive measures of oral disease to optimize clinical outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. hazza@just.edu.jo
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hazza'a
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rawashdeh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al-Nimri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al Habashneh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications*; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000150:complications*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors