%0 Journal Article %T Oral health-related quality of life in Fanconi anemia: a cross-sectional study. %A Santana NCM %A Rocha PADS %A de Arruda JAA %A Pascoal TP %A Prado HV %A Costa ACM %A Costa FO %A Torres-Pereira CC %A Abreu LG %A Fournier BPJ %A Silva TA %J Support Care Cancer %V 32 %N 9 %D 2024 Aug 6 %M 39105977 %F 3.359 %R 10.1007/s00520-024-08777-9 %X OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of individuals diagnosed with Fanconi anemia (FA).
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with FA patients from two Brazilian referral centers. Participants underwent a complete dental, periodontal, and oral mucosa examination, as well as assessment of resting salivary flow. The short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire was administered. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed, followed by multivariate analysis to examine the impact of independent variables on OHRQoL.
RESULTS: The study included 20 (57.1%) males and 15 (42.9%) females, with a mean age of 18.9 years. Oral leukoplakia (OL) was found in 18 individuals. The overall OHIP-14 score was 9.9 ± 10.5. Individuals aged ≥ 16 years had higher OHIP-14 scores, indicating worse OHRQoL for physical pain (p = 0.007), psychological discomfort (p = 0.001), physical disability (p = 0.03), psychological disability (p = 0.001), handicap (p = 0.004), and overall score (p = 0.007). Females reported more negative OHRQoL than males for physical pain (p = 0.02), psychological discomfort (p = 0.03), psychological disability (p = 0.009), and overall score (p = 0.02). Individuals with OL had an overall OHIP-14 score 1.83 times higher than those without OL (95% CI: 1.02-3.28; p = 0.04). Lower salivary flow correlated with higher overall OHIP-14 scores (95% CI: 0.14-0.84; p = 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first attempt to evaluate OHRQoL in individuals with FA. The presence of OL and reduced salivary flow were identified as predictors of a negative impact on OHRQoL. It is imperative to integrate patients' quality of life in the clinical treatment protocols for the FA population.