TY  - JOUR
TI  - Oral Health Status of Children with 
Cerebral Palsy who Have Dysphagia: A 
Comparative Study
AB  - Objective: This study aimed to compare oral health status of children with and 
without cerebral palsy (CP) who have dysphagia.
Materials and Methods: The study included two groups of children with and 
without CP who suffer from dysphagia. The parents filled a written questionnaire 
about demographic variables. The oral motor functions of the children, including 
mouth breathing, tongue thrust, lip closure, tongue posture, severity and frequency 
of drooling, swallowing, chewing- and eating-related functions, malocclusion and 
dental caries status were evaluated. 
Results: Between-group comparisons showed a significant difference in swallowing 
functions, chewing and drooling, mouth breathing, lip closure, tongue thrust and 
malocclusion. However, no significant difference in oral hygiene habits was found 
between the groups. These results indicated that the orofacial structures of children 
with CP were more affected than those of children without CP.
Conclusion: Swallowing disorder in CP affects oral functions and oral health 
negatively as in other neurological diseases. Early diagnosis and management 
of dysphagia are important to improve the quality of life of children with CP. 
Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach, including dentists, is necessary for early 
diagnosis and treatment.
AU  - SEREL ARSLAN, SELEN
AU  - DEMIR, NUMAN
AU  - OLMEZ, MERIH SEVAL
AU  - UZAMIS TEKCICEK, MERYEM
AU  - Mergen Gultekin, Irem
DO  - 10.4274/meandros.galenos.2020.75436
PY  - 2021
JO  - Meandros Medical And Dental Journal
VL  - 22
IS  - 1
SN  - 2149-9063
SP  - 24
EP  - 34
DB  - TRDizin
UR  - http://search/yayin/detay/530089
ER  -