Oral health status of adults with Down syndrome in Hong Kong

Abstract

The aim of this survey was to study the oral health status of Hong Kong Chinese adults with Down syndrome (DS). Sixty-five community-dwelling adults with DS (aged 17 to 42 years, 26.8±6.4) and age-and gender-matched controls attending a dental hospital were included in a cross-sectional survey. The subjects with DS had fewer filled (2.4±4.6 vs. 2.7±3.1, p=0.017) and fewer decayed (1.1±2.5 vs. 1.7±2.4, p=0.007) teeth than the control subjects. Significantly more peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisors and retained primary teeth (p<0.001) were observed in subjects with DS, compared to the control subjects. Adults who had DS had a significantly higher percentage of surfaces with detectable plaque (81.5±19.1 vs. 61.9±16.0, p<0.001) and a higher percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (76.3±25.8 vs. 55.6±21.4, p<0.001). A higher proportion of subjects with DS showed one or more occurrences where probing pocket depth was >6mm than control subjects (49% vs. 24.5%, p<0.021). In conclusion, while having fewer caries, Hong Kong Chinese adults with DS had poorer periodontal health than age- and gender-matched control subjects.