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).