Oral health status of children with treacher Collins syndrome.

There is a lack of data on the oral health status of individuals with craniofacial syndromes. A group of 15 children with Treacher Collins syndrome, aged 5 to 15 years old, was examined and evaluated for plaque, caries and gingival problems. The ability of the patients to clean their teeth was also investigated. A high plaque index and poor efficacy of tooth-brushing was recorded. The caries and gingival indexes were not proportionally as high as the plaque accumulation. There was no association between the gingival index and presence of mouth breathing. There was predominance of the D component in both the dmft and DMFT indexes; this was associated with a need for restorative dental treatment in 60% of the patients, which indicated the need for dental care for these patients. Caretakers should be informed of the importance of oral health and oral hygiene and encouraged to take responsibility for the oral care of the children living at home.