Dental Caries and Oral Hygiene Status in Children With Specific Learning Disabilities

NCT07611981 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: ALKU-PEDO-2026-12/2
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 70
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate dental caries and oral hygiene status in children aged 7-12 years with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and to compare the findings with healthy children. Clinical oral examinations, including dmft/DMFT, ICDAS II, Plaque Index, and Gingival Index assessments, will be performed. In addition, questionnaire-based evaluations of oral hygiene habits, dietary habits, and parental supervision during toothbrushing will be conducted.

Conditions

Dental Caries; Oral Hygiene; Specific Learning Disabilities

Keywords

Specific Learning Disabilities; Dental Caries; Oral Health; dmft/DMFT; Pediatric Dentistry; Plaque Index; Gingival Index

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Dental Caries Experience (dmft/DMFT)

  Decayed, missing, and filled teeth index for primary (dmft) and permanent (DMFT) dentition, assessed according to WHO criteria using mirror and periodontal probe under dental unit light.

  Single assessment at the time of clinical examination

• Caries Severity (ICDAS II)

  International Caries Detection and Assessment System II score recorded for each tooth using visual and tactile examination. The highest ICDAS II code recorded for each patient is used as the individual score.

  Single assessment at the time of clinical examination

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Plaque Index (PI)

  Single assessment at the time of clinical examination

• Gingival Index (GI)

  Single assessment at the time of clinical examination

Study Arms (2)

Children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD)

Children aged 7-12 years diagnosed with specific learning disorder by a psychiatrist, presenting to Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Dentistry. Dental caries experience (dmft/DMFT), caries severity (ICDAS II), plaque index and gingival index will be assessed.

Healthy Control Children

Children aged 7-12 years with no psychiatric diagnosis, confirmed healthy by a psychiatrist, presenting to Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Dentistry Paediatric Dentistry Clinic. Dental caries experience (dmft/DMFT), caries severity (ICDAS II), plaque index and gingival index will be assessed.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children aged 7-12 years presenting to Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Dentistry Paediatric Dentistry Clinic. The study group consists of children diagnosed with specific learning disorder (SLD) by a psychiatrist. The control group consists of healthy children with no psychiatric diagnosis, confirmed by a psychiatrist.

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 7-12 years
• For the study group: diagnosis of specific learning disorder (SLD) confirmed by a psychiatrist
• For the control group: confirmed healthy with no psychiatric diagnosis by a psychiatrist
• Written informed consent obtained from the parent or guardian

You may not qualify if:

• Children with additional psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability)
• Children with systemic disease or physical disability that may prevent participation in the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Dentistry

Alanya, Antalya, 07400, Turkey (Türkiye)

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dental Caries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tooth Demineralization; Tooth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Gül Keskin, Associate Professor, DDS, PhD

CONTACT

+90 242 510 61 40; gul.keskin@alanya.edu.tr

Fatma Yaman Toktasır, Research Assistant, DDS

CONTACT

+905055881265; yamanfatma07@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor, DDS, PhD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 21, 2026
• First Posted: May 28, 2026
• Study Start: June 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)