Oral Health and Oral Health–Related Quality of Life in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

INTRODUCTION: Oral diseases can affect various aspects of life in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study is to evaluate the oral health conditions, oral health behaviors, and the oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children with ADHD.
METHODS: A sample of 76 children with ADHD who were treatment naive was compared to 71 healthy children, with ages ranging from 6 to 13 years. Through an intraoral clinical examination, the numbers of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT, dmft index), the plaque index (PI), the gingival index (GI), occlusion status, overjet, overbite and parafunctional oral habits were determined. The children’s parents completed the Turkish version of Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (T ECOHIS) and questionnaires regarding oral health behaviors and dental care.
RESULTS: The child impact score (CIS) of T-ECOHIS were significantly higher among children with ADHD compared to control group patients (16 versus 12) consistent with poorer OHRQoL. They also had more dental trauma in both dentitions and more frequent nail-biting habits compared to the participants in the control group.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In our study, T ECOHIS-CIS scores showed that the children with ADHD had been affected more when compared to the children without ADHD in the presence of oral health problems.