Caries Incidence Is Not Increased in Cleft Individuals From Patagonia

Objectives: Although a number of studies have suggested that individuals born with clefts have a higher incidence of caries, these findings have been challenged by other studies. One of the reasons suggested for these conflicting results is that cleft individuals have a diet richer in sugars, poorer oral hygiene, lack of motivation to perform regular preventive dental home care for the children, low fluoride exposure, early infection by Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli, teeth misalignment, and high prevalence of dental erosion. The aim of this work was to evaluate if individuals born with a cleft in the Southern part of Argentina and with limited access to oral care exhibit higher incidence of caries when compared to rates from individuals living under similar conditions and with the same cultural values. Methods: Forty-eight cleft cases were evaluated and DMFT/dmft (Decayed, Missing due to caries, Filled Teeth) scores were compared with scores from 116 school children and 270 young adults. Results: According to the WHO, the average DMFT score at 12 years of age in Argentina is 3.5. However, the average caries scores of non-cleft children living in the countryside were found to be 4.65 for school children and 6.9 for individuals above 12 years of age. These values were not statistically significantly different from the rates found among the cleft individuals: 4.15 for school children and 7.41 for adults. Conclusion: Our study does not support the suggestion that individuals born with clefts have a higher incidence of caries.