Method: The sample consisted of 336 patients with CP from Lar Escola São Francisco/Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, aged 1 to 26yrs (8.8±5.1). The patients medical records were reviewed for clinical data, including gender, age, type of movement disorder (spastic, dystonic, with athetosis or with ataxia, or a mixture of these disorders), neuroclinical patterns of involvement (quadriplegia, diplegia, and hemiplegia), and use of drugs. Caries experience was evaluated according to the WHO criteria.
Result: The CP group with drug users (DU) was composed of 173 subjects, being 88 (50.9%) male and 85 (49.1%) female, with mean age of 8.9±5.2, and the CP group with no drug users (NDU) was composed by 163 patients, being 92 (56.5%) male and 71 (43.5%) female, with mean age of 8.7±5.0. The groups did not significantly differ regarding gender (p=0.305) and age (p=0.365). Regarding the use of drugs, it was observed that anticonvulsants (152/87.8%) were the most used, followed by benzodiazepines (61/35.3%) and neuroleptics (29/16.8%). The DU group presented higher percentages of quadriplegic (p<0.001), and the NDU group higher percentages of diplegic (p=0.001), hemiplegic (p=0.001) and ataxic (p=0.005). Caries experience did not presented statistically difference between the two groups (DU: 2.1±3.2; NDU: 2.1±3.8; p= 0.415). The quadriplegic (4.0±3.7) and diplegic (3.3±2.6) DU group did not differ regarding caries experience (p=0.258).
Conclusion: The continuous use of drugs is not related to caries experience in patients with cerebral palsy.