examining oral health and habits in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a cross-sectional study

Background: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders in children, and due to its symptoms, patients might be unable to maintain proper oral health. objectives: in this study, the correlation between adhd and oral health was investigated. methods: in the current analytic cross-sectional study, 36 children with adhd aged 12-14 years and 36 healthy children of the same age were clinically examined regarding decay-missed-filled teeth (dmf) index and the gingival bleeding index (gbi). two bitewing radiography images were acquired from each subject; additionally, the parents completed questionnaires regarding oral habits. to analyze the data, independent t-test, chi-squared test, and the fisher test were employed, and for calculating the values, the spss software, version 16.0, was used. results: the mean dmf index in test and control groups was 7.19±3.76 and 4.97±2.37, respectively, which was statistically significant (p=0.004). the mean gbi in the test and control groups was 35.05±30.69 and 30.88±21.04, respectively. regardless of the higher mean gbi in the test group, the difference was not significant (p=0.504). meanwhile, bruxism was detected in 16.7% of the children in the test group, which was significant (p=0.025).conclusion: children diagnosed with adhd had a higher dmf index and poor dental hygiene. bruxism was also more commonly detected in these patients.