Improvement of oral hygiene in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Oral manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis. A cross-sectional study of 73 patients

OBJECTIVE

A study is made of the main oral manifestations of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), particularly salivary flow, and of its possible association to periodontal disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective comparative study was made of 146 patients (73 with RA and 73 controls), recording pocket depth, clinical attachment loss, bleeding index, plaque index, and the DMFT index to assess periodontal and dental alterations. Sialometric measurements were also made to determine resting, stimulated, and parotid salivary flow.

RESULTS

The patients with RA had greater periodontal pocket depths (with moderate depths in most cases), as well as greater attachment loss and more bacterial plaque. The resting whole saliva and stimulated parotid saliva rates were also clearly decreased in the RA group compared with the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with RA are more likely to present periodontal disease, poorer oral hygiene manifesting as an increased accumulation of bacterial plaque, and decreased salivary flow rates.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Vulnerability to periodontitis is confirmed in one of the largest samples ever studied of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Also, there is evidence of hyposialia (decrease in salivary rate) in RA patients without Sjögren's syndrome.

Remaining teeth, oral dryness and dental health habits in middle-aged Norwegian rheumatoid arthritis patients

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) upon dental health. A questionnaire was mailed to all seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients aged 44-56 yr in the files of the two main departments of rheumatology in South Eastern Norway. Data were obtained from 125 patients, constituting 91% of the target group. The number of remaining teeth in these patients was not related to disease duration or physical dysfunction, whereas a relationship to prolonged use of medication for pain relief was indicated. Factors known to affect tooth loss in the general population, such as smoking habits, dental attendance, interdental cleaning habits, previous dental disease, and place of residence were found to be important in RA patients as well. The RA patients from Oslo had a mean number of 25 remaining teeth, which is the same as reported for the general Oslo population at this age. Oral dryness was reported by more than 50% of the RA patients, but was not related to the number of teeth. The conclusion is that serious and long lasting rheumatoid arthritis had little influence on the number of remaining teeth in this middle-aged group of Norwegians.