A Systematic Review of the Oral Health Status of Hemophilic Patients

TL;DR

This review examines the oral health of hemophilia patients and finds that their oral hygiene and related conditions are often worse than those of healthy individuals.

Contribution

The study systematically reviews and compares the oral health status of hemophilia patients with healthy controls using existing literature.

Findings

Most studies found no difference in dental caries between hemophilia patients and healthy controls.

Periodontal and oral hygiene status were often reported as poor in hemophilia patients.

Regular dental visits and improved cooperation between medical and dental professionals can enhance oral health in hemophilia patients.

Abstract

Background: Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder, with the most well-known forms being hemophilia A and hemophilia B. It is important for patients with hemophilia to maintain good oral health and prevent oral diseases because of their increased propensity to bleed. Few large-scale studies exist on the oral health status of patients with hemophilia. Methods: In our search across three databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed), only 14 articles about the oral health status of hemophilic patients were extracted. Oral health status was classified into caries status, periodontal status, and oral hygiene status and compared with that of a healthy group. Results: In total, 13 of the 14 papers investigated the dental caries status of hemophilia patients, and the most common report was “no difference” compared to healthy subjects (7 papers, 53.8%), followed by “poor” (4 papers, 30.8%). Periodontal status was investigated in 6 papers, of which 4 (66.7%) reported that the status of hemophilia patients was “poor” compared to that of healthy controls. Oral hygiene status was investigated in 12 studies, with 7 studies (58.3%) reporting it to be “poor” in hemophilia patients compared to healthy controls, followed by 3 studies (25.0%) reporting “no difference”. Conclusions: Oral hygiene status is associated with other items, such as caries and periodontal disease, and it is paramount in maintaining good oral health in hemophilic patients. In addition, regular dental visits improve oral hygiene, resulting in the prevention of oral disease. It is important to increase awareness of this information among patients with hemophilia and for medical and dental professionals to cooperate to improve patients’ oral health status, with the aim of improving their quality of life.

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