Oral health status and quality of life of the parental caregivers of children with Down syndrome: A case-control study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status and quality of life (QOL) of the parental caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome (DS), and to evaluate whether there is an association between these variables. The sample of this cross-sectional study was composed by parental caregivers of children with DS (CCDS) and parental caregivers of children without DS (CNDSC). Oral examination was undertaken and a questionnaire was given to participants. QOL was evaluated by WHOQOL-Bref. CCDS presented a higher number of dental prosthesis users and higher gingival bleeding index compared to CNDSC. When oral health was associated with QOL, the use of dental prosthesis was associated with physical domain and the variables having chronic disease and family income were associated with the social domain for both caregivers. The results suggest that caregivers of children with DS have similar oral health and QOL compared to caregivers of children without DS. In both caregivers, oral health status is associated with QOL.

Caregiving of children with Down syndrome: impact on quality of life, stress, mental and oral health.

AIM: Parental caregivers of children with Down Syndrome (DS) have a greater burden of daily activities that may affect their health. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the impact of caregiving of children with Down syndrome on parenting quality of life, stress, mental and oral health. METHODS: Fifty-four parental caregivers of children with DS and 51 parents of children without physical or mental disabilities participated of this study. All participants were clinically examined to evaluate the presence of dental caries, gingival conditions and answered a sociodemographic questionnaire. Depression, anxiety, quality of life and coping strategies were assessed using specific instruments. Hair cortisol level was assessed as biological marker of chronic stress. RESULTS: Psychological and quality of life parameters were similar between the groups of caregivers (p > .05). Caregivers of children with DS were older (48.6 vs. 41.5, p < .001), had longer caregiving period (> 10 vs < 10 years, p = .003), presented higher gingival bleeding index (6.1 vs. 4.7, p = .014) and higher cortisol levels (55.9 vs. 38.4, p = .07) as compared with parents of children without disabilities. Sociodemographic data has no influence on cortisol levels (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the caregiving of children with DS has an impact on parenting oral health and stress.

Genotypic diversity and acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans in Down syndrome children.

AIMS: To evaluate the genotypic diversity and acidogenicity of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and the potential association of these factors with dental caries experience in children with DS compared to non-DS children (controls). METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventeen children (age 6-12 years) with high salivary S. mutans counts (> 2.5 × 105 CFU/mL) were selected and divided into two groups: DS and non-DS. Five children in each group were caries-free, while the remainder had elevated caries experience. S. mutans isolates were obtained from each participant. The genotypic profile of the isolates was analyzed with the AP-PCR methodology. The acidogenicity of a representative strain from each genotype of S. mutans was also evaluated. DS children had 16 different S. mutans genotypes, while the control group had 21. Twelve genotypes were present in both groups and one of them was associated with caries-free status (P < .05). Although the acidogenicity of the genotypes found in DS children was significantly lower (P < .05) compared to controls, this fact was not associated with caries experience in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: DS children have a lower S. mutans genotypic diversity and genotypes with lower acidogenicity than those of non-DS children. However these findings were not associated with their caries experience.

Cariogenic Potential of Sucrose Associated with Maltodextrin on Dental Enamel.

Maltodextrin is a hydrolysate of cornstarch and has been widely used in the food industry associated with sucrose. The addition of starch can increase the cariogenic potential of sucrose; however, there are sparse data regarding the cariogenicity of sucrose associated with maltodextrin. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test in situ if maltodextrin could increase the cariogenic potential of sucrose. This was an in situ, randomized, crossover, split-mouth, and double-blind study. Volunteers wore palatal appliances containing bovine enamel blocks for 2 periods of 14 days. They dripped the following solutions on the enamel blocks 8 times per day: deionized distilled water (DDW), maltodextrin (M), sucrose + maltodextrin (S+M), or sucrose (S). At the end of each experimental period, biofilms were collected and analyzed for microbiological (mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and total microorganisms counts) and biochemical (calcium, inorganic phosphate, fluoride, and insoluble extracellular polysaccharides concentrations) compositions. The enamel demineralization was assessed by microhardness. Treatments S and S+M resulted in a lower inorganic composition and higher concentration of insoluble extracellular polysaccharides in the biofilms, and higher enamel mineral loss compared to DDW and M. It can be concluded that the cariogenic potential of sucrose is not changed when this carbohydrate is associated with maltodextrin (dextrose equivalent 13-17).

Oral Health Status and Salivary Levels of Mutans Streptococci in Children with Down Syndrome.

PURPOSE: The literature on the oral health status of Down syndrome (DS) patients is controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the oral health status and levels of mutans streptococci (MS) in the saliva of DS children. METHODS: This study was performed with 60 DS children and 71 non-DS children aged six to 12 years old. Caries experience, plaque index (PI), and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were recorded. Information about oral hygiene habits was obtained. Saliva samples were collected to determine MS levels. RESULTS: The prevalence of dental caries was similar in children with and without DS. DS children had lower PI and GBI values and a higher toothbrushing frequency. Supervised toothbrushing by parents or guardians was more frequent in DS children and associated with lower PI and GBI. High counts of MS in saliva were associated with caries experience in DS children. CONCLUSIONS: Down syndrome children had a similar caries experience, lower plaque index, and lower gingival bleeding index values compared to children without Down syndrome. However, DS children who had caries were more likely to display high counts of mutans streptococci in saliva than non-DS children with caries.