Comparison of the effect of pharmacotherapy and neuro-feedback therapy on oral health of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic and progressive mental disorder related to the childhood period. This study aims to compare the oral health of two groups of ADHD children: those under pharmacotherapy and those under neuro-feedback therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: 72 ADHD children (aged 6-12) were divided into two 36 member groups: The pharmacotherapy group and the neuro-feedback therapy group. Unstimulated salivary flow (USF), DMFT, and plaque index were assessed in these children. Statistical analysis was carried out on the data with the independent t-test, which was performed using SPSS 16. The significance level of the study was p <0.05.

RESULTS: In this study, the USF of ADHD children who used Ritalin was found to be significantly less than that of the neuro-feedback group (1.25 ± 1.21 vs. 1.91 ± 1.16 ml/min; p =0.002). Also, the plaque index (5.9 ± 3.1 vs. 3.94 ± 1.9; p =0.018) and DMFT scores (39% ± 9% vs. 31% ± 9%; p =0.018) were significantly higher for the pharmacotherapy group.

CONCLUSIONS: Neuro-feedback therapy is preferable to Ritalin treatment for ADHD children in terms of their oral health status. Key words: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug therapy, neurofeedback, oral health.