Impact of dental caries on the quality of life of children with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Sickle cell anaemia, a major genetic blood disorder, is associated with serious complications, including oral health problems, which significantly impact daily living and health-related quality of life (QoL) (HRQoL).

AIM: To assess the impact of untreated dental caries on the QoL of children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA).

SETTING

The study was carried out at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals' Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study that included SCA children aged 8 to 16 years old with dental caries from the Paediatrics Outpatient Clinics of OAUTHC. The impact of dental caries on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of each child was assessed pre-treatment using the Child-Oral Impact on Daily Performance (Child-OIDP) and 4 weeks post-treatment. The mean Child-OIDP scores were calculated pre- and post-treatment for the 8 different domains. A paired t-test was used to compare the difference in the mean Child-OIDP scores pre- and post-treatment. Statistical significance was inferred at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

There were 27 children with a relatively low overall pre-treatment mean Child-OIDP score of 1.63 (standard deviation [s.d. = 3.71]), which decreased to 0.37 (s.d. = 1.21) post-treatment (p = 0.10). The mean Child-OIDP score for the eating domain was significantly reduced from 0.30 (s.d. = 0.54) pre-treatment to 0.11 (s.d. = 0.42) post-treatment (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

The overall mean Child-OIDP score was low pre-treatment, with a decline post-treatment. There was a significant reduction in the eating domain post-treatment.

CONTRIBUTION: Treatment of dental caries in children with SCA will significantly improve their oral health-related QoL (OHRQoL).