Spinal cord injury and oral health status: A systematic review

• Published in: International Journal of Community Dentistry 2018-07, Vol.6 (2), p.21-26
• Main Authors: Karthikayan, Ravi, Sukumaran, Aparna, Iyer, Kiran, Diwakar, Madan Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2589-8388; 2589-8388
• DOI: 10.4103/ijcd.ijcd_4_18

Aim: To assess the oral health status in patients with various levels of spinal cord injury. Data Sources: Relevant studies were included from the period of January 2007 to October 2017 via MEDLINE, EMBASE and GOOGLE SCHOLAR, TRIP DATABASE. The search identified no randomized control trials for the proposed research question. The first set of terms included 'oral health status of spinal cord injury patient. The second set included the term 'oral health', 'dental health' separated by Boolean operator "OR" 'and the third set included the term 'spinal cord injury patient, 'upper limb paralysed patients 'separated by Boolean operator "OR. Conclusion: Based on inclusion criteria 5 articles were included. The methodological quality of the selected articles were assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) 1998. The study results implied that the oral health among SCI patients was fair which is due to poor oral hygiene practices, greater levels of plaque, gingival bleeding and increase levels of caries experience. Oral hygiene instructions should be given in these patients and the caregivers should be trained adequately to maintain the oral hygiene of these physically compromised patients.