title: Comparison of risk indicators of dental caries in children with and without cleft lip and palate deformities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that there are no differences in various risk factors of dental caries among children with cleft lip and palate when compared to non-cleft high caries risk and non-cleft caries free children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three children in the age range of 4-9 years comprised three groups; Group-I (n = 23, children with cleft lip and palate), Group-II (n = 25, non-cleft high caries risk children) and Group-III (n = 25, non-cleft caries free children). Various risk factors for dental caries like type of oral hygiene practice, sugar exposures/day, developmental defects of enamel, caries activity, salivary streptococci mutans levels and lactobacilli levels were evaluated and compared among the three groups of children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean deft score among Group-II children was significantly more (P < 0.01) as compared to the Group-I children. The mean deft + DMFT score among Group-I and Group-II children was comparable (P = 0.149). Developmental enamel defects were more among Group-I children as compared to Group-II and Group-III children (P < 0.01). Hypoplasia of the maxillary anterior teeth was more common among Group-I children as compared to Group-II (P < 0.05) and Group-III children (P < 0.001). The association between hypoplastic teeth and dental caries was significant (P < 0.05). The salivary acidogenic potential as evaluated by Snyder test was comparable among Group-I and Group-II children. The salivary streptococcus mutans levels in Group-I and Group-II children were higher when compared to lactobacillus counts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk factors of dental caries among children with cleft lip and palate were more as compared to non-cleft high caries risk and non-cleft caries free children.
authors: Department of Pedodontics, ACPM Dental College, Dhule, Maharashtra, India.
authors: Rubina
authors: R
authors: Shashni
authors: Unit of Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Health Sciences Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors: Ashima
authors: A
authors: Goyal
authors: Unit of Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Health Sciences Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors: Krishan
authors: K
authors: Gauba
authors: Unit of Orthodontics, Oral Health Sciences Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors: Ashok Kumar
authors: AK
authors: Utreja
authors: Department of Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors: Pallab
authors: P
authors: Ray
authors: Unit of Orthodontics, Department of Dental Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
authors: Ashok Kumar
authors: AK
authors: Jena
keywords: Cleft lip and palate; dental caries; risk factors