Impact of oral health related quality of life of children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia: a cross-sectional study

Backgroud The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of oral health conditions on the quality of life (QoL) of children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Methods: The sample consisted of 76 children and adolescents aged 8–14 years. For inclussion in the study they were required to have a diagnosis of HbSS SCA in their medical records, without a pain crisis or any dental emergency in the last three months. The children and adolescents with SCA were from the Hematology and Hemotherapy Center of Maranhão (HEMOMAR), a state health institution responsible for governmental policies related to hematology and transfusion medicine in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene, caries, malocclusion, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were assessed. OHRQoL was assessed using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10 and CPQ11-14). Descriptive statistics, Student's t and Mann−Whitney tests were performed (α = 5%). Results: The brown race was the most prevalent for both age groups (8–10 years − 63.2% and 11–14 years – 57.9%). The predominant monthly family income for both age groups was below $106. Visible plaque and gingival bleeding were higher in children with aged 8–10 years. Dental caries significantly impacted the quality of life of adolescents through the domain “oral symptom” (p = 0.031). The malocclusion significantly impacted the quality of life of adolescents (“total score”, p = 0.026; “social well-being”, p = 0.045). Conclusion: Oral health impairment negatively affected the QoL of adolescents with SCA.