Dental caries in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a population-based follow-up study

• Published in: European journal of oral sciences 2011-10, Vol.119 (5), p.381-385
• Main Authors: Blomqvist, M., Ahadi, S., Fernell, E., Ek, U., Dahllöf, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Case-Control Studies; Dental Caries; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dental Restoration; Dental Restoration, Permanent - statistics & numerical data; Dentistry; DMF Index; Education; Educational Status; Epidemiology; Feeding Behavior; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Food Habits; Gingival Hemorrhage; Gingival Hemorrhage - epidemiology; gingival inflammation; Humans; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Mothers; Mothers - education; oral health; Oral Hygeine; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; Permanent/statistics & numerical data; Population Surveillance; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Psykiatri; Social Class; Statistics and numerical data; Sweden; Sweden - epidemiology; Tooth Loss - epidemiology; Toothbrushing; Toothbrushing - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0909-8836; 1600-0722; 1600-0722
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2011.00844.x

Blomqvist M, Ahadi S, Fernell E, Ek U, Dahllöf G. Dental caries in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a population‐based follow‐up study. Eur J Oral Sci 2011; 119: 381–385. © 2011 Eur J Oral Sci This study tested the hypothesis that adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit a higher prevalence of caries than adolescents in a control group. Thirty‐two adolescents with ADHD and a control group of 55 adolescents from a population‐based sample, all 17 yr of age, underwent a clinical and radiographic dental examination. The mean ± SD number of decayed surfaces (DS) was 2.0 ± 2.2 in adolescents with ADHD and 0.9 ± 1.4 in adolescents of the control group. Thirty‐one per cent of the adolescents in the ADHD group had no new caries lesions (DS = 0) compared with 62% in the control group. Six per cent of the adolescents in the ADHD group were caries free [decayed, missing or filled surfaces (DMFS) = 0] compared with 29% in the control group. Adolescents with ADHD also had a higher percentage of gingival sites that exhibited bleeding on probing compared with the control group: 35 ± 39% vs. 16 ± 24% (mean ± SD), respectively. At 17 yr of age, adolescents with ADHD exhibited a statistically significantly higher prevalence of caries compared with an age‐matched control group. Adolescents with ADHD need more support regarding oral hygiene and dietary habits. They should be followed up with shorter intervals between dental examinations to prevent caries progression during adulthood.