Association Between Fungiform Papillae Density and Oral Health Status in Children with and Without Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Objective To evaluate the association between fungiform papillae (FP) density and oral health status in children with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) compared with age-matched noncleft controls. Design A cross-sectional comparative study. Settings Two calibrated examiners performed all measurements. Patients About 160 children with and without cleft were divided into four groups (6–9 years and 12–15 years, respectively) (n = 40) Main Outcome Measure Caries experience, oral hygiene status, fungiform papilla density on the tongue, and enamel defect status was assessed using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) index, simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), the modified developmental defects of enamel (DDE) Index, and standardized blue food dye-based digital imaging protocol respectively. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U tests, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation. Results Children with UCLP demonstrated significantly lower FP density than noncleft controls in both the 6–9-year (26.90 ± 2.97 vs. 29.70 ± 3.75) and 12–15-year cohorts (24.35 ± 2.46 vs. 27.65 ± 3.12; p < 0.05). DMFT/dmft scores and enamel defects were also significantly higher in cleft children than noncleft controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion Reduced density of FP is observed in children with UCLP, but does not independently predict caries experience or oral hygiene status. However, significant intergroup differences in OHI-S were observed in the 12-15-year cohort, suggesting that oral hygiene disparities between cleft and noncleft children are more pronounced with increasing age. Children with UCLP also showed a higher prevalence of enamel defects consistent across both age strata; however, multivariate regression adjusting for FP density, cleft status, and age showed no correlation with DMFT/dmft/OHI-S.