Association between executive/attentional functions and caries in children with cerebral palsy.
Quick tests of attention and planning flag which kids with cerebral palsy are most likely to develop cavities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at kids with cerebral palsy and a group of same-age peers. They gave short tests of executive skills: copying a complex picture and repeating numbers backward. Then they counted each child’s dental cavities.
The goal was to see if lower scores on the thinking tests went hand-in-hand with more tooth decay.
What they found
Kids with CP who drew messy pictures or forgot the number sequence had more cavities. Poor attention and planning predicted tooth trouble better than just having CP.
How this fits with other research
Moreira et al. (2012) studied the same group one year earlier. They found that IQ level, not motor severity, drove cavity risk. The new paper adds executive and attention gaps as a second, separate red flag.
Chien-Hu et al. (2013) showed that higher motor severity and older age slow gains in many skills. Capio et al. (2013) zoom in on one hidden cost of cognitive load: forgetting to brush or sit still at the dentist.
Together the studies say: check both IQ and day-to-day executive skills when you plan dental care for CP clients.
Why it matters
You already watch motor and IQ levels. Now add a 30-second backward-digit span or Rey copy task to your intake. Kids who fail can get extra teaching on brushing, picture schedules, or desensitization before the dental chair. A quick cognitive screen can spare hours of drill-and-fill later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the existence of an association between attention/executive functions and the development of dental caries in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Seventy-six children with CP were selected from a physical rehabilitation center and a school serving children with disabilities. The control group was made up of 89 children without neurological impairment. Socioeconomic status, presence of teeth with cavities due to caries, degree of motor impairment and intellectual, executive and attentional functions were assessed. Mean age of participants was 8.9 years (SD=3.56). The CP group had a significantly lower performance (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney test) on the intelligence, attentional function and executive function tests in comparison to the control group. Controlling for the clinical diagnosis (CP or control group), motor impairment and intellectual function, the significant explanatory variables for the presence of teeth with cavities were performance on the Complex Rey figure test (OR=0.941) and the Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children in backward order (OR=0.581). After controlling for intellectual function, clinical diagnosis and motor impairment, deficits in executive and attentional functions increased the odds of developing dental caries in children with cerebral palsy.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.05.003