Oral health in children and adolescents with haemophilia

IntroductionBleeding disorders are certainly one of the most difficult health conditions among health professionals. The haemophilia requires special care in dentistry mainly due to highly vascularized oral cavity. AimThe objective of this study was to determine oral health conditions of children and adolescents with haemophilia at a haematology centre. MethodsThe sample was composed of 40 children and adolescents aged 1-18years. Data collection occurred by means of a questionnaire about social and economical conditions, and an examination of the oral cavity. The decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth (dmft), decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) and gingival bleeding (allows the determination of gingival bleeding) epidemiological indexes were evaluated. ResultsWhen evaluating caries experience, the mean value for the dmft index was 3.4 for the deciduous dentition, DMFT score of 0.9 for mixed-dentition, and 2.9 for permanent dentition. The mean value for the gingival bleeding index was similar in all three phases of development, showing a mean value of 1.74. ConclusionThe majority of the children and adolescents demonstrated unsatisfactory oral health.