Perception of Treatment Needs and Use of Dental Services for Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease

Purpose: To evaluate the perception of treatment needs and the use of dental services for children/adolescents with sickle cell disease. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 250 children/adolescents with sickle cell disease at a reference center in the city of Recife, Brazil. Data on the use of dental services were collected using a 13-item questionnaire administered to parents/guardians. The examiner in charge of determining l caries and periodontal status had previously undergone a training and calibration exercise. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis were also performed (α = 5%). Results: A total of 47.2% of the children/adolescents with sickle cell disease were diagnosed with caries and 14.0% were diagnosed with some periodontal problems. The following variables were statistically significantly associated with the perceptions of parents/guardians regarding the treatment needs of their children: caries (PR = 1.24; 95%CI: 1.09-1.42), periodontal problems (PR = 1.10; 95%CI 1.01-1.20) and history of toothache in the previous six months (PR = 1.17; 95%CI 1.06-1.29). Only a lower level of mothers' schooling (PR = 1.64; 95%CI 1.06-2.53) was statistically significantly associated with the mean number of caries among the children/adolescents with sickle cell disease. Mean dmft/DMFT indices were higher among children/adolescents who sought dental care. Conclusion: Based on our results, a predomination of curative treatment was found, as seeking out dental treatment was more frequent among children/adolescents with a greater number of caries. Keywords: dental caries, dental health services, disease, oral health, sickle cell