Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of sickle cell disease (SCD) on oral health and examine its impact on quality of life.
Methods: Fifty-four study subjects were recruited from the sickle cell clinic and 52 control subjects from the adolescent medicine clinic at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. A dental exam was performed to determine each participant's caries burden. The Child Oral Health Impact Profile survey was used to assess their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).
Results: Most subjects in both the SCD and control groups rated their overall health and oral health as "good" or "excellent." There was no statistically significant difference in OHRQoL between these groups. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between white blood cell count, medication intake, or the number of sickle cell crises as related to the caries burden. Statistically significant differences were detected in caries burden between the control group and the sickle cell hemoglobin C disease (HbSC) group (P<.02) and between the sickle cell anemia and HbSC subjects (P=.04).
Conclusions: Adolescents with sickle cell hemoglobin C disease had fewer caries than peers with sickle cell anemia or controls, though the cause of this finding is not clear.