Is there a difference in the oral health status of healthy patients and those with inherited bleeding disorders? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies

Objectives

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies was to identify the differences in oral health status between inherited bleeding disorders (IBDs) and healthy patients.

Data

Only case-control studies were included in this review. The risk of bias was assessed using the NOS tool. The random-effects meta-analysis was performed for DMFT and Oral Health Index outcomes.

Sources

Online databases were searched to identify studies reporting a comparison between IBDs oral health conditions (DMFT, Oral Health Index) and healthy patients.

Study selection

Eight case-control studies were included. The majority of the included studies presented a high degree of methodological quality, while one presented a high risk of bias. A meta-analysis regarding the mean DMFT between IBDs and healthy patients reported that children and teenagers (p = 0.52; I² = 73%) or adult patients (p = 0.96, I²= 0) did not present statistically significant differences compared to control groups. The overall DMFT mean difference between IBDs and healthy patients was -0.18 (p = 0.64, I²=0).

Conclusions

There are no differences considering the caries experience of inherited bleeding disorders compared to healthy patients.

Clinical significance

The available evidence indicates that patients with inherited bleeding disorders present similar caries experience with healthy subjects.