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Comparison of Dental Caries Prevalence in Patients with Cleft Lip and/or Palate and Their Sibling Controls

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of dental caries in patients with cleft lip and/or palate and their cleft-free sibling controls. Methods: The two subject groups (patient and control) comprised 106 participants. The former group consisted of 53 patients with cleft lip and/or palate, aged 12 to 29 years, who visited the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Hospital at Damascus University of Syria. The control group consisted of the patients’ siblings who had no clefts, and they were sex matched to the patient group. Dental caries were examined clinically and were reported using the decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index. The DMFT scores were compared between the two groups. Results: The author found an overall association of dental caries with the presence of cleft lip and/or palate (odds ratio  =  2.52; 95% confidence interval  =  1.389–4.574; p < .05). The DMFT index scores were proportionally higher in patients with cleft lip and/or palate compared with the control group (p < .001). Conclusion: Subjects with cleft lip and palate are susceptible to dental caries independently of socioeconomic status.