Hospital admissions for dental treatment among children with cleft lip and/or palate born between 1997 and 2003: an analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics in England

This study examined hospital admissions for surgical removal of teeth, simple extraction of teeth, and restoration of teeth before the age of seven years among children with a cleft. The study included 6,551 children and analysed data from Hospital Episode Statistics. We identified 858 hospital admissions for dental treatment. 66.4% of admissions were primarily for caries and 95.6% involved extractions. 11.4% of children with a cleft had at least one admision for dental treatment. The presence of additional anomalies, having a more severe cleft type, and living in relatively deprived areas increased the risk of hospital admission.

Full reference and link: K J Fitzsimons, L P Copley, J A Smallridge, V J Clark, J H van der Meulen, S A Deacon. Hospital admissions for dental treatment among children with cleft lip and/or palate born between 1997 and 2003: an analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics in England. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 2014;24(3):200-208.