Azza A. El-Housseiny, Najlaa M. Alamoudi, Sumaya Nouri, Bashaer Abdulhadi, Reem Allarakia
Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common neurobiological disturbances that develop in children. Its characteristics can directly affect the individual’s ability to maintain good oral hygiene; however there is no clear evidence whether it is a risk factor for poor oral health. Objectives: To assess the oral health status of children with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder and to determine if this condition influences the oral health status of the affected children. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using multiple search engines. Only English publications between the years 2000 and 2014 that assess the oral health status including the caries experience and/or oral hygiene and/or gingival health and that included healthy controls were included. The target population was children with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that are free from any other medical condition, with ages ranging from 0-18 years. Results: Database search retrieved a total of 207 records using the keywords. According to title screening and after removing the duplicates 38 records were found to be relevant to our specifications and their abstracts were reviewed. Finally 10 articles were found to be suitable for inclusion in the systematic review. Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder tend to have significantly higher caries in the primary dentition compared to controls. Enamel caries were also found more significantly among this group of children. They also have higher plaque index scores when compared to healthy children. Gingival enlargement and gingival bleeding were significantly higher in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who were taking Amphetamine. Registration number: CDR42015015661 with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.