title: Presence of plaque, gingivitis and caries in Sudanese children with congenital heart defects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to assess the presence of plaque, gingivitis, and caries in a group of Sudanese children with congenital heart defects CHDs (cases) and compare them to children without CHDs (controls).
  
  
  METHODS
  This analytical cross-sectional study included cases (N = 111, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 3.0 years) and controls (N = 182, with a mean age of 7.2 ± 2.8 years) from Khartoum, Sudan. Examinations were done by two calibrated dentists using plaque index, gingival index, and WHO (World Health Organization) caries diagnostic criteria (dmft/DMFT index: decayed, missing, and filled teeth).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with CHDs (cases) had statistically significantly higher mean number of sites with plaque and gingivitis than children without CHDs (controls), although almost all children experienced plaque. Cases also experienced significantly higher mean dmft/DMFT than controls (age group 1, 3-7 years: 3.7 vs 2.3 and age group 2, 8-12 years: 1.3 vs 0.6). The Significant Caries Indices in cases (age groups 1 and 2) were also significantly higher than among controls (SiC 8.2 vs 5.9 and 1.8 vs 0.8, respectively). Fillings were totally lacking among cases and scarce among controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings clearly showed that this group of Sudanese children with CHDs was more severely affected with gingivitis and caries than the control group without CHDs. These results are cause for concern in children at risk of developing systemic infections and serious complications related to poor oral health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide important baseline data for planning appropriate dental preventive strategies for Sudanese children with CHDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Årstadveien 19, 5009, Bergen, Norway. Hiba.Mohammedali@student.uib.no.
authors.forename: Hiba Mohamed
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Oral Health Centre of Expertise in Western Norway, Bergen, Hordaland, Norway.
authors.forename: Manal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.affiliation: Ahmed Gasim Hospital, Khartoum Teaching Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Siham
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasabalrasol
authors.affiliation: Ahmed Gasim Hospital, Faculty of Medicine University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Osama Hafiz
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Elshazali
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Årstadveien 19, 5009, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Elwalid Fadul
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.
authors.forename: Raouf Wahab
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berggreen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Årstadveien 19, 5009, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Marit Slåttelid
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Skeie
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010512:Periodontal Index; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Caries; Children; Congenital heart defects; Gingivitis; Plaque