Oral health status in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

To provide basic data for the prevention of oral diseases in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by investigating the oral health status.

Seventy-three children diagnosed with ALL and seventy-three healthy controls participated in the study. Oral examinations were carried out for both groups. The crown caries were analyzed by calculating the incidence of caries, mean caries and dental caries filling rate; the soft scale index (debris index, DI) and plaque index (plaque index, PLI) were used to record oral hygiene status; and the modified gingival index (modified gingival index, MGI) was used to record gingival health status. A questionnaire was given to the parents at the same time. The data were collected and analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software.

① The average numbers of decayed teeth in the observation and control groups were 1.34 ± 171 and 1.15 ± 1.67, respectively. The caries prevalence were 52.05% and 41.10%, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The obturation rate of caries was 6.12% and 20.24%, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P = 0.001). ② The DI, PI and MGI of the observation group were higher than those in control group, and the differences were significant (P < 0.05). ③ There was a mean of 1.21 ± 1.70 caries in male children and 1.47 ± 1.75 in female children; there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The < 6 years old group had a mean of 1.65 ± 1.92 caries and that of the 6～14 group was 0.71 ± 0.95; the difference was significant (P < 0.05). The urban group and rural group had means of 0.87 ± 1.31 and 1.69 ± 1.91 caries, respectively, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). Children who brushed their teeth and strictly controlled their sweets had significantly fewer mean caries than did those who did not brush their teeth and ate more sweets, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). ④ The DI, PLI and MGI were significantly different between different age groups and different places of residence (P < 0.05).

The oral health status of children with ALL was poorer than that of normal children; oral hygiene was not maintained. Thus, more attention must be paid to the prevention and control of caries and periodontal diseases among children with ALL.