Caries risk in patients with thalassaemia major

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and distribution of dental caries in subjects with thalassaemia major. Design: Clinical examination for dental caries, diagnosed according to the WHO criteria. Participants: A total of 54 thalassaemic patients, 23 aged 6–9 (14 males and 9 females) and 31 aged 12–18 (17 males and 14 females) were examined. Outcome measures: dmft, DMFT and plaque scores. Results: The mean dmft was 6.92 for 6–7 year olds and 4.72 for 8–9 year olds. The DMFT values were 6.57 and 5.95 for ages 12–14 and 15–18, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in caries prevalence (dmft/DMFT) between gender or between primary and permanent teeth. Only 17.4 per cent of the children aged 6–9 and 21.4 per cent of 12–18 years olds were caries free. The prevalence of dental caries in the thalassaemia patients was considerably higher (22.7 per cent) than that reported in a normal Jordanian sample (DMFT 6.26 vs 4.84). Very few fillings (1.4 per cent of the examined teeth) were observed, indicating a negligible rate of conservative treatment. More than half (61.1 per cent) of the patients had poor oral hygiene (plaque score ≥2.0). Conclusions: The need for effective preventive measures, education and dental treatment need to be stressed for this caries risk group.