Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)-related orofacial manifestations are exacerbated by poor oral hygiene practices, malnutrition, poverty, and disproportionately affect people of color. This study aimed to compare self-reported oral health-related quality of life between persons diagnosed with SCD and known carriers of sickle cell trait (SCT) to the general population residing in Burere, Nyambogo, and Roche villages, Rorya district, Tanzania, East Africa.

Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from Rorya district who received SCD or SCT-related health services at Bugando Medical Center. Additional participants were recruited from villagers receiving non-SCD or non-SCT-related health services. All participants completed oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measure.

Results: A nonrandomized convenience sample (n=74) of mostly female-identified participants (n=44; 59%) were recruited. Participants reported an average age of 30.83 (SD=10.22; min to max 18-57) with no differences in age between groups. Compared to general population (n=51; x̄=9.16; SD=3.86; min to max 3-14 with higher scores indicating decreased QoL), persons in combined SCD and SCT groups (n=23; x̄=11.13; SD=2.58; p=0.03) indicated significantly reduced QoL. Independently, average OHRQoL score for SCD group (n=10; x̄=13.20; SD=0.92; p=<0.05) was considerably higher when compared to SCT group (n=13; x̄=9.54; SD=2.30), indicating greater decreased QoL in persons with SCD. No statistical differences were found in OHRQoL between general population and SCT group.

Conclusion: Oral health-related quality of life is compromised in presence of SCD and SCT. Socio-dental impact on quality of life is substantially worse for those diagnosed with SCD and SCT when compared to general population.