Oral Health Status of Children with Thalassaemia in Melaka: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Thalassemia is an inherited disorder that involves abnormal haemoglobin formation. This cross-sectional study with universal sampling was conducted from May 2018 to January 2019 to evaluate the oralhealth status of children with thalassaemia. The sample consisted of 54 transfusion-dependent patientsbetween the ages of 3–17 years old, who were registered at the paediatric day-care centre of HospitalMelaka. Oral health status was evaluated which included soft tissue examination, recording of dentalcaries, malocclusion and oral hygiene status of the children, while their parents answered a pre-validatedself-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic and oral health practices and attitudes. The meandeft (decayed, exfoliated and filled teeth) among the 3–5 years old was 6.71±6.07. The mean DMFT(decayed, missing and filled teeth) was 3.00±3.94 among the 13–17 years old and 1.12±1.42 amongthe 6–12 years old. Most of the 3–5 years old children exhibited good oral hygiene (71.4%). Dentofacialfindings among the 3–5 years old were increased overjet (35.7%) and open bite (28.6%) predominantly.Fractured teeth (69.2%), increased overjet (46.2%) and discolouration (23.1%) were the commondentofacial findings among the 6–12 years old while increased overjet (71.4%), soft tissue lesions(57.1%) and posterior crossbite (28.6%) were seen among the 13–17 years old. In this cohort of childrenwith thalassaemia, the prevalence of dental caries was high in preschool children and older children