Oral health and orofacial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

AbstractThe aim of the study was to describe the oral health and orofacial function of Mexican patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their association with clinical and radiological aspects of the disease. Patients with RA received a complete odontological exam, which also included a clinical and radiographic assessment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The rheumatologic assessment included detailed profiling of the disease and serological and radiographic parameters. The study included 62 RA patients; the median (min –max) age was 51 (18–72) years old and 8.5 (1–39) years of disease duration. The 63.6% of the patients had DAS28 ≥ 3.2, and a median (min–max) of Sharp/van der Heijde score (SvdHS) of 41 (0–214). 98.3% of the patients presented caries, which were severe in 53.3% of the cases. The 73. 8% of the patients were missing teeth due to caries, with a median (min–max) of 4 (0–32) teeth missing per patient. Oral hygiene was classified as bad in 49.1% of patients and only 15.3% of them had a healthy periodontium. The TMJ function was abnormal in 98.4% of the patients and 62.9% of them presented moderate or severe TMJ disorder (TMD). The radiographic damage of the TMJ correlated positively with the SvdHS. No correlations were found between disease activity or structural progression and orofacial variables, including periodontitis. There are severe oral and orofacial health problem s in RA patients despite having medical attention for their dise...
Source: Rheumatology International - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research