Prevalence of dental caries in children with cerebral palsy in relation to body mass index trends Sharma Pooja1, Golchha Vineet2, Tokas Yogesh3 1Assistant Professor, Amity Institute of Physiotherapy, F1-Block, Basement, Sector-125, Amity University, Noida 2Reader, IP Dental College, Sahibabad 3Reader, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College, Ghaziabad, U.P. Online published on 18 April, 2014. Abstract Backgroud and Objectives: Cerebral Palsy is an encephalic static lesion defined as a non-progressive disorder of movements and posture. Children with CP have a high rate of overweight and are at risk of overweight, particularly among ambulatory children. Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. There is a high level of evidence which shows direct association between obesity and dental caries. There is also an existence of association between attention/executive functions and the development of dental caries in individuals with cerebral palsy. Various surveys have being conducted world wide in different ethnic populations to see the association between the caries development and BMI of children. Currently there is lack of data available in relation between BMI and prevalence of dental caries in children with cerebral palsy indicating the need for further well-designed studies to demonstrate the relationship between the two. Methodology: Data collection was part of the Oral Health Survey and free dental check up camp in various special schools and private clinics in Noida. A total of 22, 7–11 year-old cerebral palsy children constituted the study group. Results: The Pearson correlation was used to find the relationship between the prevalence of dental caries and BMI of the children included. A significant correlation existed between the two. Conclusion: Together with obesity as a matter of concern in cerebral palsy children the maintenance of dental health also need to be emphasized for this at risk group. Top Keywords Obesity, Dental Caries, Body Mass Index, Cerebral Palsy. Top |