Available online 15 March 2023

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common hemoglobinopathy where morphologic changes to red blood cells affect the development of hard and soft tissues. The purpose of this study is to identify the craniofacial characteristics and maxillomandibular relationship in SCD patients and compare with unaffected subjects, through cephalometric radiographic assessment.

The study included 44 Kuwaiti SCD patients (20 female, 24, male) as well as 44 age and gender matched controls. Digital lateral cephalometric, radiographs were recorded. SNA and ANB angles were measured and compared.

The mean SNA angle was found to be higher among the SCD cases (83.00 ±, 3.22) than in controls (81.78 ± 4.58), but the difference was not statistically significant, (p=0.146). The mean ANB angle in SCD cases (5.27 ± 2.36) was significantly higher, than that in controls (3.97 ± 2.23). The difference in means was statistically significant, (p=0.01). Almost 50% of the SCD patients had class II malocclusion and 61.5% of the, patients had prognathic maxilla.

Patients with SCD in Kuwait exhibited characteristics of skeletal class II, pattern malocclusion. They also showed evidence of compensatory maxillary, expansion.

Sickle cell anemia

sickle cell disease

cephalometric analysis

SNA angle

ANB angle

malocclusion

© 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.