Evaluation of Surgical and Non‐Surgical Periodontal Therapies, and Immunological Status, of Young Down's Syndrome Patients

Background: Individuals with Down's syndrome (DS) differ in their oral condition compared with the healthy population. Periodontal disease in persons with DS under the age of 30 years is very high. Immune deficiencies are also present. For dental practitioners it is difficult to decide on a particular course of treatment. In this study, patients with DS were selected in order to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical periodontal therapies and 2) assess their immunological status. Methods: The population consisted of 14 DS patients (14 to 30 years old). Surgical and non-surgical periodontal therapies were compared in a split-mouth design. Clinical measurements of plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment levels (CAL) were taken at baseline, posttreatment, 6 months, and 1 year. Immunomodulatory activity of neutrophils was analyzed in vitro by chemotaxis (Boyden migration chamber), phagocytic activity, and production of super-oxide anion (NBT redu...