Oral health in patients with liver cirrhosis

Expert consensus on endodontic therapy for patients with systemic conditions

The overall health condition of patients significantly affects the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of endodontic diseases. A systemic consideration of the patient's overall health along with oral conditions holds the utmost importance in determining the necessity and feasibility of endodontic therapy, as well as selecting appropriate therapeutic approaches. This expert consensus is a collaborative effort by specialists from endodontics and clinical physicians across the nation based on the current clinical evidence, aiming to provide general guidance on clinical procedures, improve patient safety and enhance clinical outcomes of endodontic therapy in patients with compromised overall health.

Cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction

The term cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction (CAID) comprises the distinctive spectrum of immune alterations associated with the course of end-stage liver disease. Systemic inflammation and immune deficiency are the key components of CAID. Their severity is highly dynamic and progressive, paralleling cirrhosis stage. CAID involves two different immune phenotypes: the low-grade systemic inflammatory phenotype and the high-grade systemic inflammatory phenotype. The low-grade systemic inflammatory phenotype can be found in patients with compensated disease or clinical decompensation with no organ failure. In this phenotype, there is an exaggerated immune activation but the effector response is not markedly compromised. The high-grade systemic inflammatory phenotype is present in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, a clinical situation characterized by decompensation, organ failure and high short-term mortality. Along with high-grade inflammation, this CAID phenotype includes intense immune paralysis that critically increases the risk of infections and worsens prognosis. The intensity of CAID has important consequences on cirrhosis progression and correlates with the severity of liver insufficiency, bacterial translocation and organ failure. Therapies targeting the modulation of the dysfunctional immune response are currently being evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies.

Hepatic Encephalopathy and Liver Transplantation: The Past, Present, and Future Toward Equitable Access

Cirrhosis is a debilitating chronic disease with high morbidity and mortality, with the only real cure being liver transplantation (LT). Currently, we allocate organs for transplantation based on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium (MELD-Na) score that does not account for hepatic encephalopathy (HE). HE affects patients, families, and the health care system because of high rates of recurrence and major readmission burden. Moreover, HE casts a long shadow even after LT. Accounting for HE and incorporating it into the current allocation system has many proponents, but the framework to do this is currently lacking because of differences in consensus or in operationalization parameters. We review the latest evidence of the burden of HE, management of HE before and after LT, and evaluate pros and cons of several methods of diagnosing HE objectively to ensure early and equitable access to LT in this underserved population.

Bittencourt P, Cavalcanti A, Paraná R, Lins-Kusterer L. Poor Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Pre- and Post-Liver Transplantation Patients

Background:

Oral health is associated with Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) and may play a relevant role in oral (OHRQoL) and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people with chronic liver disease (CLD).

Objective:

To explore the correlations between OHRQoL and HRQoL in pre- and post-liver transplantation (LT) patients.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study with 189 patients: 63 per group (pre-LT, post-LT, and without liver disease). The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, and the Work Ability Index (WAI) were used to measure oral health-related quality of life, health-related quality of life, and work ability, respectively. Oral health was evaluated according to the World Health Organization criteria. The relationship between the OHIP-14 and independent variables was analysed by multiple linear regression.

Results:

Pre-LT group presented the highest OHIP-14 total mean score, followed by the post-LT group, compared to the group without liver disease (p=0.001). All HRQoL and WAI mean scores were lower in the pre-LT group than in the other groups (p≤0.013). In the pre-LT group, the OHIP-14 total mean score was negatively correlated with the Mental Health, Physical Functioning, and General Health mean scores (p=0.01) and negatively and significantly (p<0.05) associated with decayed teeth and with poor workability. In the post-TL group, OHRQOL of life was associated with decayed and missing teeth, lower educational level, and poor workability.

Conclusion:

Patients in the pre- and post-LT groups presented poorer OHRQoL compared to patients without liver disease. OHRQoL was strongly correlated with HRQoL in the pre-LT group.

The impact of oral diseases in cirrhosis on complications and mortality

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence of various oral diseases and to examine the association of the oral diseases with complications and mortality of cirrhosis.

METHODS

A total of 184 cirrhosis patients were enrolled and were followed up for 2 years. They underwent oral clinical and radiographic examination. At study entry, the associations between oral diseases with nutrition, inflammation, and cirrhosis complication status were examined. Then, the associations of oral diseases with all-cause and cirrhosis-related mortality were examined using Cox regression to adjust for confounding by age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, alcoholic cirrhosis, cirrhosis complications, comorbidity, Child-Pugh, and Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score.

RESULTS

At entry, 26% of the patients had gross caries, 46% periapical lesions, 27% oral mucosal lesions, and 68% periodontitis. Having one or more oral diseases was associated with a higher prevalence of cirrhosis complications (46.7 vs 20.5%), higher C-reactive protein (28.5 mg/L vs 10.4 mg/L), and higher nutritional risk score (4 vs 3). Two-thirds of the patients died during follow-up. The patients with more than one oral disease had an increasingly higher all-cause mortality (two diseases: hazard ratio [HR] 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.98; three and four diseases: HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.05-3.24) and even higher cirrhosis-related mortality (two diseases: HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.01-2.40; three and four diseases: HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.05-8.83) compared to those with no oral disease.

CONCLUSION

In cirrhosis, having more than one oral disease was associated with more complications and with higher mortality.

Assessment of Written Patient Information Pertaining to Cirrhosis and Its Complications: A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Written patient information may play an important role in the compliance of the cirrhosis disease, but little is known on the quality and patients' understanding of them.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the written patient information leaflet pertaining to cirrhosis and its complications.

METHODS

The Baker Able Leaflet Design (BALD) criteria and the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) questionnaire were applied to assess design, layout characteristics, and information quality. Readability was calculated using the Læsbarhedsindex (LIX) and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG). A cross-sectional study with a mixed methods design was carried out, using a questionnaire consisting of closed- and open-ended questions.

RESULTS

The BALD score was 24 and the EQIP score 70%. The LIX score was 46 and the SMOG score 15.8. Sixteen phrases from the leaflet were selected to explore patients' understanding. Four phrases were understood by 100% of the patients, 6 phrases by more than 50% of the patients, and 6 phrases were understood by less than 50% of the patients. The meaning condensation showed that knowledge and understanding of cirrhosis and its complications were not enhanced by the availability of the leaflet.

CONCLUSION

The leaflet had a good design, layout, and information quality but was difficult to read. Patients appeared to relate poorly to the leaflet and demonstrated limited health literacy. These results suggest that an assessment of written patient information ought to be made in an effort to improve readability. Further studies on intervention to improve patients' health literacy are recommended.

Development of Routine Dental Care for Liver Transplant Outpatients

BACKGROUND

Liver transplantation has become commonplace for patients with end-stage liver disease. The liver is a bodily organ of great importance, and its dysfunction can cause significant complications throughout the body. Patients with hepatic disease should be able to acquire knowledge of the physiology of the liver via the dental profession, and it is also necessary to modify some aspects of dental treatment even in healthy patients. Problems such as excessive bleeding and hepatotoxicity caused by some of the drugs used in dental treatment can lead to a decrease in systemic health. Otherwise, patients with liver disease will have poorer oral health than the general population. Thus, it is important to have well-established routine dental care in this patient group and offer management of oral health in view of the effects of liver disease.

METHODS

The objective of this work was to undertake a bibliographic review of the dental approaches to patients with liver disease and liver transplant recipients and to propose a dental care routine for such patients in an outpatient setting.

RESULTS

A search was carried out on the main scientific databases (PubMed, Medline, and SciELO) for publications related to this subject and, particularly those published after 2010. The articles selected describe poor oral hygiene among patients, independent of the etiology of their liver disease. These patients also had a high index of xerostomia, caries, periodontal disease, apical lesions, and fungical infections. To control bleeding during and after surgery, hemostatic measures must be understood and adopted.

CONCLUSION

There are no data about routine dental care among liver disease/transplantation patients. Thus, our findings will hopefully encourage other services to structure their approaches and consider enhancing their dental care protocols for patients with liver-related complications.

Periodontitis in patients with cirrhosis: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Many patients with cirrhosis have poor oral health but little is known on periodontitis, and its clinical significance is largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of periodontitis, and evaluate the association of periodontitis with nutritional and systemic inflammation status.

METHODS

145 patients with cirrhosis were consecutively enrolled. Clinical, oral examination of plaque, pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing was performed. Patients were categorized as having no-or-mild, moderate, or severe periodontitis. Predictors of severe periodontitis and the association with nutritional and systemic inflammation status were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

The large majority of patients had periodontitis, 46% of them severely and 39% moderately. Predictors of severe periodontitis included smoking (odds ratio (OR) 2.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29-6.63), brushing teeth twice daily (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.11-0.79), and visiting the dentist annually (OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.22-10.81). Cirrhosis etiology or severity was not predictors of severe periodontitis. The patients with severe periodontitis had a higher nutritional risk score than patients with moderate, mild, or no periodontitis (3, interquartile range (IQR) 3-5 vs. 3, IQR 2-4, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Most cirrhosis patients had significant periodontitis, the severity of which was related to life style factors and was associated with higher nutrition risk score. Our results emphasize the need for further research to establish the effect of periodontitis on cirrhosis.

The assessment and care of patients with hepatic encephalopathy

This article provides an overview of the metabolic brain dysfunction hepatic encephalopathy (HE). HE is caused by severe liver cirrhosis and patients will often be treated in a liver unit, but patients with symptoms of HE may require nursing care anywhere in the healthcare system. Therefore it is beneficial for all nurses to have a basic knowledge of HE and this article explains the symptoms and treatment. Possible differential diagnoses are presented, as well as factors that can trigger episodes of HE. Both patients' and relatives' experiences are examined. Finally, the nurse's role in caring for patients with HE is described, along with the dilemmas and challenges involved.

Severe periodontitis and higher cirrhosis mortality

Background

Periodontitis and edentulism are prevalent in patients with cirrhosis, but their clinical significance is largely unknown.

Objective

The objective of this article is to determine the association of severe periodontitis and edentulism with mortality in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods

A total of 184 cirrhosis patients underwent an oral examination. All-cause and cirrhosis-related mortality was recorded. The associations of periodontitis and edentulism with mortality were explored by Kaplan-Meier survival plots and Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for age, gender, cirrhosis etiology, Child-Pugh score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, smoker status, present alcohol use, comorbidity, and nutritional risk score.

Results

The total follow-up time was 74,197 days (203.14 years). At entry, 44% of the patients had severe periodontitis and 18% were edentulous. Forty-four percent of the patients died during follow-up. Severe periodontitis was associated with higher all-cause mortality in the crude analysis (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.06-2.54), but not in the adjusted analysis (HR 1.45, 95% CI 0.79-2.45). Severe periodontitis was even more strongly associated with higher cirrhosis-related mortality (crude HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.07-4.50 and adjusted HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.04-4.99). No association was found between edentulism and mortality.

Conclusion

The presence of severe periodontitis predicted a more than double one-year cirrhosis mortality. These findings may motivate intervention trials on the effect of periodontitis treatment in patients with cirrhosis.

Presence and consequence of tooth periapical radiolucency in patients with cirrhosis

Background

Periapical radiolucency is the radiographic sign of inflammatory bone lesions around the apex of the tooth. We determined the prevalence and predictors of periapical radiolucency in patients with cirrhosis and the association with systemic inflammation status and cirrhosis-related complications.

Methods

A total of 110 cirrhosis patients were consecutively enrolled. Periapical radiolucency was defined as the presence of radiolucency or widening of the periapical periodontal ligament space to more than twice the normal width. Predictors of periapical radiolucency and the association with systemic inflammation markers and cirrhosis-related complications were explored by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Results

Periapical radiolucency was present in one or more teeth in 46% of the patients. Strong predictors were gross caries (odds ratio [OR] 3.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–6.79) and severe periodontitis (OR 3.98, 95% CI 1.04–15.20). Also old age (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01–1.19) and smoking (OR 3.24, 95% CI 1.02–17.62) were predictors. However, cirrhosis etiology (alcoholic vs nonalcoholic) or severity (Model of End-Stage Liver Disease score) were not predictors. The patients with periapical radiolucency had higher C-reactive protein (15.8 mg/L vs 8.1 mg/L, P=0.02) and lower albumin contents (25 g/L vs 28 g/L, P=0.04) than those without. Furthermore, the patients with periapical radiolucency had a higher prevalence of cirrhosis-related complications such as ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and/or variceal bleeding (46% vs 27%, P=0.05).

Conclusion

Periapical radiolucency is often present as an element of poor oral health status and likely has an adverse clinical significance, which should motivate diagnostic and clinical attention to the findings.