Patologías orales en tejidos blandos y duros de pacientes pediátricos.

Abstract

Introduction: Oral pathologies fundamentally affect dental pieces, supporting tissues, and mucous membranes. Pediatric patients may present some type of pathology at the level of these structures, with different characteristics and etiologies. These lesions can affect the functions of mastication, swallowing and phonation. Objective: Determine which are the most prevalent oral pathologies in soft and hard tissues in pediatric patients. Materials and methods: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research was carried out, in which soft and hard tissue pathologies were observed and described in pediatric patients attended in the pediatric area of the Fundación de Damas del Honorable Cuerpo Consular de Durán (Fundación H.C.C.). The universe of this study was 100 pediatric patients attended in this center during the months of November and December 2023, where a sample of 80 patients was obtained. Results: Of the 80 patients, 61.3% (n=49) were male, while 38.8% (n=31) were female. The minimum age was 12 days, the maximum age was 13 years, and the average age was 7 years. The most prevalent age group was school children (6 to 11 years) with 55% (n=44). The male sex was the most affected in each of the categories. The most prevalent category of soft tissue injuries was miscellaneous with 46,2% (n=30), followed by infectious with 35,4% (n=23), and reactive with 18,5% (n=12). While, within the category of hard tissue lesions, caries occurred most frequently with 53,2% (n=41), followed by tooth structure anomalies with 26% (n=20) and pulpitis with 25,3% (n=24). Conclusions: The most prevalent pathology was dental with 86.2% versus soft tissue with 81.25%. The most common lesions in hard tissues were caries, pulpitis and dental hypoplasia, while in the oral mucosa were partial ankyloglossia, coated tongue and viral aphthoids.