International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | February 2018 | Vol 6 | Issue 2 Page 431 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Alamri MH et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2018 Feb;6(2):431-437 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article Oral health status and treatment needs of children with sickle cell disease in Abha and Khamis Mushait cities of southern Saudi Arabia Maha H. Alamri, Reem A. Alqahtani, Norah A. Alqahtani, Wejdan A. Shobeili, Rafi A. Togoo, Zakirulla M.* INTRODUCTION Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited autosomal recessive blood disease having molecular disorder of hemoglobin structure and morphologic changes in erythrocytes. 1 Children with SCD are at risk for serious morbidities related to vascular occlusion, hemolysis, and infection, which can impair their quality of life (QoL) and lead to early death. The pathological effects of SCD, seen in mineralized connective tissues, also occur in dental tissues and the oral cavity, usually in late childhood and during adolescence. 2 Sickle cell disease are very common in Saudi Arabia. 3 Prevalence of SCD has been decreasing in every region of Saudi Arabia but remains higher compared to other countries. Moreover, SCD is endemic in southern and eastern Saudi Arabia. SCD in Saudi Arabia was first reported in the Eastern province in the 1960. 4 This led to the initiation of multiple regional and national screening Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Sciences (POS), College of Dentistry King Khalid University, Abha, KSA Received: 12 January 2018 Accepted: 17 January 2018 *Correspondence: Dr. Zakirulla M., E-mail: tamer@kku.edu.sa Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Background: This study aimed to assess the oral health status and dental treatment needs of children with Sickle Cell disease (SCD) in Abha and Khamis Mushait cities of southern Saudi Arabia. Methods: A total of 82 children were included in the study, 41 children with SCD and 41 control group. A total of 82 children having age group of 2 to 13 years from Abha and Khamis Mushait cities of southern Saudi Arabia were examined. The clinical examinations were performed by experienced clinicians in those children who fulfilled the required inclusion criteria. Intraoral examination was done using Decayed-Missing-Filled Teeth Index (DMFT Index) and other dental conditions were examined. Statistical analysis was done with Chi square test and level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Prevalence of dental caries was shown between the 2 groups of children i.e., SCD and control. When SCD was compared with control group, the Mean ±Standard deviation for decayed missing filled tooth was found to be DMFT= 6.95±4.79, 8.02±4.33 respectively. Statistically no significant difference was found (P=0.290). 17.1% of children with SCD group has gingivitis compared to control group which is 7.3%. Statistically no significant difference was found (P=0.177). Dental trauma, deleterious oral habits and tooth brushing amount SCD children were shown no statistically significant compared to control group. Conclusions: In the present study no significant difference was evident in dental diseases and treatment needs among SCD and Control group. Keywords: Children, Dental caries, Gingivitis, Oral health, Malocclusion, Sickle cell disease DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20180281