Oral hygiene in children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia living in rural and urban regions

Introduction and objective. During acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, oral mucositis is a hugely important dental problem. In order to lower the risk of such complications, patients should take special care of their oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene status in children with ALL during anti-cancer treatment protocols. Materials and methods. 78 children with ALL who were examined in 3 stages, and 78 generally healthy children, who constituted the control group, participated in the study. In the group of patients were 55 children from the rural environment and 23 children living in towns. Oral hygiene status was assessed with the use of the Oral Hygiene Simplified Index, Plaque Index, and Gingival Index. Results. The average value of OHI-S index in children with ALL before the chemotherapy was 0.64 ± 0.85, the value of the Pl.I index was 0.59 ± 0.74, GI index value was 0.08 ± 0.34. In the period from 0.5 – 1.5 years, the anti-cancer therapy value indicators of oral hygiene in children with ALL developed as follows: OHI-S – 0.49 ± 0.69, Pl.I – 0.49 ± 0.67, GI – 0.02 ± 0.13. Conclusions. Oral hygiene was significantly better in children with ALL than in children in the control group. The better condition of oral hygiene in children with ALL than children in the control group is the result of the oral hygiene regime that the children were following during cancer treatment protocols. Significantly higher GI in children with ALL, compared to children from the control group, was observed despite the better oral hygiene.