Oral Health Status among Medically Compromised Children Within Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a Case-Control Study

Background: The perceived need for dental care for children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) exceeds the need for either preventive or specialty medical care. Objective: To assess the oral health status among hospitalized and non-hospitalized children with SHCN in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Method: This case - control study assessed the oral health status in SHCN children by measuring the prevalence of DMFT, def., GI, PI, and oral lesions and relates it to hospitalization. the sample size is 300 participants aged 2-18 years old were divided into 150 hospitalized children, and 150 non-hospitalized children from several governmental and private hospitals in Riyadh. Oral examination was done after receiving consent from the legal guardians who were interviewed using the self-administered 28 item questionnaire assessing demographics, hospitalization characteristics, oral hygiene practices, dental visits, dietary behaviors, medical conditions, medication use and self-reported recurrent pathos stomatitis. Chi square test was used to compare the incidence of dental, periodontal diseases and oral lesions to hospitalization. Results: Caries was present more in controls (non hospitalized) than cases (hospitalized). Moderate gingivitis was more prevalent in cases; however, mild gingivitis was more prevalent in controls. Plaque scores were found to be better in cases than controls, controls showed poor plaque scores. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries and plaque accumulation were significantly poorer in non-hospitalized children compared to hospitalized patients. Whereas, gingival health was shown to be more deteriorated in hospitalized children in Riyadh city.