Association between oral clefts and periodontal clinical measures: A meta-analysis.

AIM: To conduct a systematic review and to evaluate the clinical parameters for periodontal diseases in individuals with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P). DESIGN: The authors searched six indexed databases without any linguistic limitation through July 2021. The eligibility criteria were observational studies that compared the periodontal clinical measures of individuals with CL/P to those without CL/P. A meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models with inverse variance weighting. RESULTS: The literature search generated 1277 records, and 40 full-text articles were reviewed. Twenty-three studies comprising 3235 individuals from four continents fulfilled our selection criteria. The meta-analysis revealed a significant difference in mean plaque index scores (MD = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.22, 0.41), gingival index scores (MD = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.77), and periodontal pocket depth (MD = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.12, 1.16) between individuals with and without CL/P. A slight increase in clinical attachment loss was detected among individuals with CL/P; however, such an increase may have little clinical significance. CONCLUSIONS: As age is positively related to periodontal disease progression, and individuals with CL/P are more likely to present with more plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation, clinicians should reinforce preventive dental care from an early age.

Dental students' attitudes toward the care of individuals with intellectual disabilities: relationship between instruction and experience.

This study examined the relationship between didactic instruction related to special needs patients and dental students' expectations of and reported comfort levels in treating those with intellectual disabilities. The relationship between students' experience with individuals with intellectual disabilities and their expectations and comfort levels was also assessed. Third-year students were surveyed immediately before and one week, six months, and one year after a lecture on management of patients with developmental disabilities. Students indicated their previous experience with individuals with intellectual disabilities, assessment of their general capabilities (i.e., life function skills) and dental capabilities, and current and anticipated comfort levels related to their treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated significantly higher expectations of general and dental capabilities after instruction (p<0.05), but no change in comfort levels. At one-year follow-up, students' expectations were still significantly higher than at baseline. Regression analyses indicated significant positive relationships between experience and baseline comfort levels (p<0.05), but no significant relationship between experience and expectations of general or dental capabilities. Based on these findings and review of the literature, it is recommended that curricula include experiential learning with reflective components in order to develop students' comfort level in treating special needs populations.