Resumo

TEITELBAUM, Ana Paula et al. Action of experimental dentifrices on oral health of children with Down syndrome. IJD, Int. j. dent. [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.3, pp. 128-135. ISSN 1806-146X.

Children with special needs tend to present poor levels of oral hygiene, with the presence of gingivitis and accumulation of dental biofilm. To evaluate the effectiveness of some different formulations of dentifrices in reducing the biofilm and improving gingival condition in children with Down Syndrome. A randomized clinical trial was conducted, which followed a cross-over and double-blind model. The sample consisted of 40 children, attending a School of Special Education of Ponta Grossa - PR, aged 7 to 13 years old, which used four kinds of dentifrices handled with: a) fluorine b) fluorine + chlorhexidine; c) fluorine + chlorhexidine + erythrosine; and d) fluorine + erythrosine. Each experimental stage lasted 10 days and was separated by a washout period of fifteen days. The patients were evaluated through dental plaque and gingival bleeding indexes. Similar clinical conditions were present at the beginning of the experiment for all children. Significant differences were observed for the presence of dental plaque and gingival bleeding after all experimental periods. The dentifrice containing erythrosine, associated or not with chlorhexidine, showed to be more effective in reducing the dental biofilm. In relation to gingival bleeding, both the dentifrice containing erythrosine as the one with chlorhexidine showed similar results. The dentifrice containing erythrosine associated with chlorhexidine showed the best results at the end of the experiment. The combination of several drugs in a same dentifrice showed to be viable and effective for the control of dental biofilm in children wiht Down Syndrome, improving oral health.

Palavras-chave : Down Syndrome; Oral Hygiene; Dental Plaque; Dentifrices; Chlorhexidine; Erythrosine.