Oral health status of children with a history of liver transplantation
Guler Burcu Senirkentli1, Simge Polat1, N. Sena Onder1, Emre Karakaya2, Mehmet Haberal2.
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey; 2Department of General Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey
Introduction: Chronic liver disease (CLD) in children imposes a significant health burden that impacts their development. This study aims to identify unique oral health problems that may arise in children with liver transplantation and to develop targeted interventions for these problems by examining dental and skeletal anomalies, caries experience, and factors related to dental age in this patient group.
Methods: The prevalence of dental caries, the presence of odontogenic anomalies, the presence of jawbone anomalies, the need for periodontal treatment, the need for orthodontic treatment, and dental age were evaluated.
Results: Fifty children (aged 6-12 years) with CLD and fifty healthy controls participated in the study. The analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups in terms of dental caries prevalence, presence of odontogenic anomalies, or jawbone anomalies. However, a statistically significant difference was found in dental age.
Conclusions: These findings offer valuable insights for dental professionals and paediatricians managing children with CLD. Future research with a larger sample size could further explore the association between CLD and dental age while investigating the potential influence of factors such as disease severity and medication use on oral health.