The impact of oral health promotion on the quality of life of children with bleeding disorders: fighting misconceptions.

Background: Understanding the disease-specific risks and patient-related barriers of children with bleeding disorders is necessary for primary oral health promotion. Our goal was to assess the oral health status and the impact of oral health promotion among patients with bleeding disorders.

Research design and methods: At baseline, 70 patients with inherited and acquired bleeding disorders had a complete intraoral examination, completed the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) questionnaires, and an oral health education was given. After 6 months, the effectiveness of the oral hygiene promotion was evaluated clinically and through the OHRQoL questionnaires.

Results: Our cohort included 33 patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (cITP), 27 hemophilia A patients, and 10 with inherited thrombasthenia. Forty patients (57.1%) had dental caries, 90.0% showed fair oral hygiene status with variable degrees of gingivitis. The baseline self-image score was significantly inferior among patients with inherited bleeding disorders, while the psychological domain for family was greatly affected among cITP patients. After 6 months, there was a significant reduction in the oral debris, the modified gingival indexes, the percentages of cases with oral bleeding, and a significantly improved mean OHRQoL total score.

Conclusions: After the oral health education, the OHRQoL scores had significantly improved, and oral hygiene status were acceptable among patients with bleeding disorders.