Traumatic dental injuries in individuals with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most frequent conditions encountered in the daily practice of dentists who treat special-needs individuals and it seems that traumatic dental injuries are often present in these cases. The aim of this study was to investigate and describe the prevalence related to traumatic dental injury (TDI) in individuals with CP attending rehabilitation treatment at the Lar Escola Sao Francisco Rehabilitation Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil The sample included 100 individuals with a medical diagnosis of CP (SG) aged 1-15 years (mean 7 years 2 months +/- SD 3 years 4 months) and 100 non-disabled individuals (CG), aged 1-15 years (mean 7 years 5 months +/- SD 4 years 0 month), presenting the same socioeconomic level as SG. Data were collected through clinical examinations according to Andreasen criteria and interviews. According to the Gross Motor Function Classification, the SG presented 34.0% of individuals that walked with or without assistive mobility devices and 66.0% required a wheelchair for mobility. The TDI prevalence observed for CG was 32.0% (n = 32), with 20.0% (n = 20) for SG, showing no statistically significant difference (P = 0.053). For both groups, the teeth most affected were the maxillary central incisors. Crown fracture without pulp exposure was the most frequent type of injury (31.2%) in CG and enamel fracture (30.0%), in SG. The groups differed significantly regarding dental treatment received after TDI (P = 0.012), with CG presenting higher percentages of treated individuals The data suggest that the TDI prevalence in individuals presenting CP and attending rehabilitation treatment was similar compared with non-disabled individuals, but they received less treatment.