Association Between Fungiform Papillae Density and Oral Health Status in Children with and Without Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the association between fungiform papillae (FP) density and oral health status in children with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) compared with age-matched noncleft controls. Design A cross-sectional comparative study. Settings Two calibrated examiners performed all measurements. Patients About 160 children with and without cleft were divided into four groups (6–9 years and 12–15 years, respectively) (n = 40) Main Outcome Measure Caries experience, oral hygiene status, fungiform papilla density on the tongue, and enamel defect status was assessed using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) index, simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), the modified developmental defects of enamel (DDE) Index, and standardized blue food dye-based digital imaging protocol respectively. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U tests, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation. Results Children with UCLP demonstrated significantly lower FP density than noncleft controls in both the 6–9-year (26.90 ± 2.97 vs. 29.70 ± 3.75) and 12–15-year cohorts (24.35 ± 2.46 vs. 27.65 ± 3.12; p < 0.05). DMFT/dmft scores and enamel defects were also significantly higher in cleft children than noncleft controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion Reduced density of FP is observed in children with UCLP, but does not independently predict caries experience or oral hygiene status. However, significant intergroup differences in OHI-S were observed in the 12-15-year cohort, suggesting that oral hygiene disparities between cleft and noncleft children are more pronounced with increasing age. Children with UCLP also showed a higher prevalence of enamel defects consistent across both age strata; however, multivariate regression adjusting for FP density, cleft status, and age showed no correlation with DMFT/dmft/OHI-S.