Oral health of individuals with cleft lip, cleft palate, or both

Objective: To evaluate the oral health of children with cleft lip and palate. Design: DMFT (dmft) and DMFS (dmfs) were calculated on the basis of visual examination. Periodontal disease was assessed by classical clinical parameters: volume gain, bleeding, probing depth, loss of insertion, gingival recession. and calculus. Patients: Seventy-eight individuals aged 1 to 32 years took part in the study. Results: The dmft was 2.91 (+/-3.99) in the 1- to 5-year-old age group and 2.77 (+/-3.15) in the 6- to 12-year-old group. The DMFT averages for the age groups of 6 to 12 years, 13 to 18 years, and 19 to 32 years were 1.87 (+/-1.78), 6.46 (+/-3.11), and 13.62 (+/-6.51), respectively. A total of 5.3% of individuals presented a healthy periodontium, and 86.6% presented with gingivitis and 8% presented with periodontitis. Conclusions: The dental and periodontal condition of individuals with cleft lip and palate was similar to the general population in the region in which this study was conducted. Good preventive measures should result in improved oral health similar to the general population and should be emphasized.