Assessment of jaw bone mineral density, resorption rates, and oral health in patients with severe hemophilia: a case-control study

Objective: Knowledge about oral hygiene, gingival bleeding, mineral density, and resorption of jaw bones in patients with hemophilia is limited. We evaluated the periodontal and bone status in such patients. Material and methods: Forty-eight patients with severe type A/B hemophilia and 49 age- and sex-matched controls were included. Assessments included simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S), calculus index, debris index, gingival index (GI), gingival bleeding time index (GBTI), and decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFTI). Bone resorption was evaluated using panoramic mandibular index (PMI), mental index (MI), and alveolar crest ratio (ACR). Mineral density in the condyle, angulus, and premolar areas was assessed using fractal analysis, with fractal dimensions denoted as condyle fractal dimension (CFD) for the condyle, angulus fractal dimension (AFD) for angulus, and premolar fractal dimension (PFD) for premolar region. Results: The mean scores were DMFTI = 11.77, OHI-S = 2.44, PMI = 0.268, MI = 5.822, GI = 3.02, GBTI = 2.64, ACR = 2.06, CFD = 1.31, AFD = 1.31, and PFD = 1.17 in the hemophilia group and DMFTI = 11.449, PMI = 0.494, MI = 7.43, GI = 0.67, GBTI = 0.98, OHI-S = 1.45, ACR = 2.87, CFD = 1.35, AFD = 1.35, and PDF = 1.23 in the control group. Differences were significant for all parameters (p < 0.005) except for the DMFTI index. Conclusions: Because of poor oral hygiene, high bone resorption, and low bone mineral density in these patients, clinicians should consider potential bone changes when planning to treat these patients.