Epidemiological Profile of Patients With Cerebral Palsy at a Dental Reference Service

Background: cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of severe physical disabilities in childhood and affects about 17 million people worldwide, the aim of this study is to examine both medical and dental profiles of CP patients treated at a referral dental care center for patients with special needs and to identify the main risk factors involved in this neurological disorder. Methods: : an observational epidemiological analysis of 284 medical and dental records of patients with CP treated between 1995 and 2019 in a referral dental care center was performed. Statistical analyzes were performed to determine the association between risk factors and CP type, the relation between anoxia and home birth delivery, and the relation between the type of dental treatment and some variables (gender, age range, cognitive deficit, epilepsy, and CP type). Results: : the majority of CP patients were males (59.86%) and spastic was the most prevalent specified CP (40.14%). Premature birth was the only risk factor significantly associated with spastic CP (p=0.002). The high prevalence of perinatal anoxia (41.90%) indicated its relation to home birth delivery (p=0.0017). The cognitive deficit was the most prevalent comorbidity (72.40%). The majority of patients that attended the referral dental care center for the first dental appointment were older than 11 years of age (40.63%) and patients with spastic CP received the highest number of invasive treatments (41.07%). Conclusions: : the medical and dental profiles of patients with CP treated at a referral dental care center for patients with special needs highlighted premature birth as an important risk factor and the unprecedented significant association between perinatal anoxia and home birth delivery. Moreover, comorbidities associated with CP lead to more invasive treatments.