INTRODUCTION: Studies have shown that the greater the severity of neurological damage in children with cerebral palsy (CP), the greater risk of oral diseases. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the caries experience with salivary osmolality in children with CP. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 99 CP children (9.2±2.3 years) in rehabilitation treatment participated of this study. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected in the morning using cotton roll (Salivette®) for 5 minutes. The salivar osmolality was measured using a freezing point depression osmometer. Caries experience index for decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) and oral motor were assessed during the feeding process. It was used the chi-square test, t Student test, Spearman correlation and odds ratio (OR) with a significance level of 5%. RESULT: Group 1 (G1) consisted of 41 caries-free children, and group 2 (G2) of 58 children with caries (DMFT=3.5±2.7). The groups were homogeneous for gender (p=0.884) and age (p=0.174). However, they differed significantly with respect to the oral motor, with G2 showing higher percentages of children with sub-functional (p<0.001) and tetraparetic (p=0.001) oral motor. Group 2 showed significantly higher values (p<0.001) for salivar osmolarity (99.6±36.7 mOsml) compared to G1 (76.7±15.9 mOsml). There was a significant correlation between osmolality and caries experience (p<0.001). Presenting osmolality greater than 76.7 (OR=5.18, 1.85 to 14.83) was a individual determinant of higher probability for caries risk (DMFT>0). CONCLUSION: Higher values of salivary osmolality increase the risk of caries in CP children.
Cerebral palsy; saliva; dental caries; osmolar concentration; motor skills