Agbor Ashu Michael, Mekendja Kepwa Florence, Che Blek, Naidoo Sudeshni
Department of Oral Health/Dentistry, Université des Montagnes Dental School, Bangangte, Cameroon.
Department of Community Oral Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, Republic of South Africa.
Int J MCH AIDS. 2025 May 14;14:e010. doi: 10.25259/IJMA_28_2024. eCollection 2025.
Sickle cell disease is a neglected inherited condition that affects the hemoglobin in red blood cells and impacts at least 2% of the West African population. This hemoglobinopathy presents with high mobility and mortality as a result of infections and vaso-occlusive pain crises as a result of structural abnormality of the red blood, making it fragile and rigid. The objective of our study was to describe the oral health status of sickle cell patients in Yaoundé Central Hospital, Cameroon.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the hematology unit of the Yaoundé Central Hospital from June to October 2022.
A total of 63 patients, made up of 41 (65%) males and 22 (35%) females, were recruited in the study. The majority, 60 (95%), consumed sugary foods, while 43 (68%) brushed their teeth before meals, and 27 (43%) brushed their teeth once a day. A third, 24 (38%), presented with pallor of the palatal mucosa, and 24 (74.6%) had dental caries. The mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth index of this population was 2.6 (moderate) and 11 (17.5%) periodontitis. Less than a third, 17 (26.9%) of the patients had been to a dentist, 26 (41.3%) did not see it necessary to consult a dentist, while 23 (37%) thought that oral conditions are not serious. Two-thirds, 38 (60.5%), did not receive any treatment for caries. Tooth extraction 18 (27.9%) was the most common treatment given, 5 (7%) conservative treatment, and no treatment was administered for periodontitis.
There was a high prevalence of periodontal diseases, moderate levels of dental caries, and elevated prevalence of oral mucosal lesions like tonsillar hypertrophy, pallor of the palate, lingual mycosis inflammation, and mucositis among sickle cell patients. The poor oral health-seeking behavior of the patients and poor oral hygiene practices might be responsible for the high burden of carious and periodontal diseases.
镰状细胞病是一种被忽视的遗传性疾病，会影响红细胞中的血红蛋白，至少影响2%的西非人口。这种血红蛋白病由于感染以及红细胞结构异常导致的血管阻塞性疼痛危机，呈现出高流动性和高死亡率，使得红细胞变得脆弱和僵硬。我们研究的目的是描述喀麦隆雅温得中心医院镰状细胞病患者的口腔健康状况。
2022年6月至10月在雅温得中心医院血液科开展了一项描述性横断面研究。
本研究共招募了63名患者，其中男性41名（65%），女性22名（35%）。大多数患者，即60名（95%），食用含糖食物，43名（68%）在饭前刷牙，27名（43%）每天刷牙一次。三分之一的患者，即24名（38%），腭黏膜苍白，24名（74.6%）有龋齿。该人群的平均龋失补牙指数为2.6（中度），11名（17.5%）患有牙周炎。不到三分之一的患者，即17名（26.9%）看过牙医，26名（41.3%）认为没有必要看牙医，而23名（37%）认为口腔状况不严重。三分之二的患者，即38名（60.5%），没有接受过任何龋齿治疗。拔牙是最常见的治疗方式，有18名（27.9%），5名（7%）接受了保守治疗，而牙周炎未进行任何治疗。
镰状细胞病患者中牙周疾病患病率高，龋齿程度中等，口腔黏膜病变如扁桃体肥大、腭苍白、舌部霉菌感染炎症和黏膜炎的患病率升高。患者不良的口腔保健行为和不良的口腔卫生习惯可能是龋齿和牙周疾病负担高的原因。
