Assessment of Salivary Zink Level and its impact on Periodontal Health among Children and Adolescence with Sickle Cell Anemia

Abstract

Background: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is the most common inherited disorder around the world. It affects red blood cells resulting in severe hemolysis and painful crisis with multi-organ damage. Sickle cell anemia patients showed an impaired antioxidant status due to a reduced antioxidant defense mechanism that depends indirectly on zinc micronutrient. Several studies revealed a low level of serum zinc among sickle patients. However, none of them investigates the impact of SCA on salivary zinc level. This study aims to measure zinc level in saliva and its influence on the periodontal health of Sudanese children with SCA in Khartoum state. Up to our knowledge, this the first study conducted to measure salivary Zink level and its impact on periodontal health among sickle patients Subjects and Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted among children and adolescents aged 5-18 years old. Sixty individuals were involved, 30 with SCA compared to 30 healthy controls groups. An Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer quantified the salivary level of zinc. Periodontal examinations were assessed in SCA children using the periodontal community index.Results: The mean ages in the sickle cell anemic group were 10.37 ± 4.13 years old, while the mean ages of subjects in the control group were 9.37 ± 3.6 years (P.Value: 0.169). Salivary zinc level was significantly lower among SCA patients (P.Value <0.001) than in the healthy control group. None of the participants were diagnosed with periodontitis. The less salivary zinc level was significantly higher in SCA with standard pocket depth and no clinical attachment loss than patients diagnosed with gingivitis ( P. Value:0.025).Conclusions: Sickle patients have a low level of zinc in saliva, which may contribute to some manifestations of sickle cell disease and may make them more susceptible to periodontal disease in the future. We recommend conducting more research on oral and periodontal health among children affected with SCA to improve their quality of life.

Effect of Haptoglobin Genotype on Essential Mineral Levels in Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia, Hepatitis C: A comparative Analysis

“…the level of serum zinc in sickle cell patients was significantly depleted when compared with the control (P<0.05)table (5).The significantly low level of zinc is consistent with 32 , who found a connection between sickle cell disease and symptoms such growth retardation, hypogonadism in males, hyperammonemia, incorrect dark adaption, and cell mediated immunological dysfunction, and zinc insufficiency. Zinc deficiency is a common problem in sickle cell anemia patients 33 . It can be caused by a number of factors, including the increased hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells) that is characteristic of sickle cell disease, the inflammation that is often associated with the disease, and the use of hydroxyurea, a medication that is used to treat sickle cell anemia 11 .…”