Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the oral health status (dental caries and dental bacterial plaque), malocclusion, brushing frequency and drooling, in accordance with the type of cerebral palsy in a group of children with cerebral palsy. A total of 25 children with cerebral palsy between the age range of 6.17 to 10.5 years were examined. 25 controls were chosen, that were age and gender matched. The subjects had either spastic or mixed type of vertebral palsy with an average calculated deft and DMFT of 3.0. Class II malocclusion was most prevalent in the cerebral palsied children. The problems of cerebral palsied children must be carefully understood and treated, in order to accomplish desired results in terms of complete dental care of the highest quality.

Key words: Cerebral palsy, oral health, caries, dental plaque.