The impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on dental and gingival status of children during syrian crisis: A preliminary study

AIM: Most children in war zone countries often experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This turns the war into a health issue of great importance. The aim was to evaluate dental and gingival status of children suffering from PTSD. METHODS: A case control study, which included 60 children (30 diagnosed with PTSD and 30 healthy controls) between 9 and 14 years, was undertaken. Dental status was assessed using decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) for permanent and decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) for primary. Gingival status was examined using plaque (PI) and gingival (GI) indices. Child PTSD reaction index (CPTSD-RI) was used to evaluate the severity of PTSD. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in DMFT and dmft indices between the PTSD children and the controls. However, PTSD children had more decay in permanent (DT) and primary teeth (dt), more primary missing teeth mt and less filled teeth in their permanent (FT) and primary (ft) dentition. Significant difference was found between PTSD children and controls regarding PI (P < 0.00001) and GI (P < 0.0001). CPTSD-RI was positively correlated with DMFT (P = 0.002), PI (P = 0.038), and GI (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: PTSD children had poor dental and gingival status than matched controls and they were affected by PTSD severity.