Oral Health Findings among Children Detected with Down’s Syndrome in Dibrugarh District – A Cross-sectional Survey

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder produced by the (complete or partial) presence of three copies of chromosome 21. Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of certain oral characteristics usually associated with DS and to determine the oral health status of these patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 284 subjects aged 18 years or below visiting outreach camps organized by a dental college in Dibrugarh district. A pretested questionnaire was used to assess demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. DMFT and dmft indices are used to record dental caries, and the oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S) index to record oral hygiene status. Statistical analysis was done by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: The mean age of study subjects was observed to be 6 ± 2.06 years. The mean DMFT of study subjects was reported to be 3.25 ± 1.2, whereas dmft was recorded to be 2.36 ± 0.21. The mean OHI-S status, Plaque index, Calculus index and Gingival index of the study subjects were reported to be 3.43 ± 0.27, 1.15 ± 0.9, 0.67 ± 0.9 and 2.84 ± 0.82, respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that a high rate of dental caries, poor oral health hygiene status, and low dental visits are all indicators of reduced oral health in this population.