A patient-reported questionnaire developed in a German early arthritis cohort to assess periodontitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Impact of musculoskeletal disability limitations on the economic unmet dental needs in South Korea

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal disability (MSD) has been identified as having a negative impact on oral health. Patients with MSD have a greater burden of medical expenses and are expected to have an Economic unmet dental need (UDN). This study aimed to conduct a multifactorial analysis based on the Andersen model to determine the extent to which MSD contributes to inequitable dental care use.

METHODS

This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey VIII. The study population was 17,903 adults aged 19 years and older. All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows version 26 and the level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

The people with MSD activity limitations were rare as only 3% in this study population. There were significant differences in sex and education as predisposing factors, income, and marital status as enabling factors, and current smoking, daily brushing, and MSD activity limitation as need factors for experiencing economic UDN. MSD activity limitation was associated with 1.5-fold increased odds of Economic UDN with a fully adjusted Anderson's Behavior Model.

CONCLUSIONS

This finding suggests poorer access to dental care among adults with MSDs owing to financial difficulties. It is necessary to explore various ways to address oral health inequalities among adults with MSD activity limitations.

Relationship between the Social Development Index and Self-Reported Periodontal Conditions

Inequalities in oral health are influenced by the social strata of the population. Few studies have focused on the multitude of factors related to social development as indicators of living conditions and periodontal health status. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between self-reported periodontal conditions and the Social Development Index (SDI). A cross-sectional validated questionnaire was carried out among 1294 Mexican adults. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the best predictors of self-reported periodontal conditions. Bone loss reporting was used as a proxy for the presence of periodontal disease. We found that higher global scores on the SDI and quality and available space in the home (QASH) increase the probability of having bone loss. Global SDI (OR = 7.27) and higher QASH (OR = 3.66) were indeed the leading societal factors related to periodontal disease. These results have pointed out how SDI and its indicators, in particular QASH, can be used to further explore inequities related to privileged access to dental care in the context of periodontal diseases.

Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity and Periodontitis Defined by Tooth Loss: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Data From Two Observational Studies

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the effect of tooth loss/periodontitis on disease activity in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

Participants of the Course And Prognosis of Early Arthritis (CAPEA) early arthritis cohort reported their number of teeth at baseline. The number of teeth had been validated as a predictor of periodontitis. Clinical end points, including disease activity score (Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR]), swollen joint count (SJC), ESR, and C-reactive protein level were collected at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. We used linear mixed regression models to estimate the association between tooth loss and clinical end points over time in early arthritis. For established RA, we analyzed cross-sectional data from the German National Database (NDB). All models accounted for age, sex, smoking, seropositivity, education level, and disease duration (only NDB).

RESULTS

Among 1,124 CAPEA participants with early arthritis, those with higher tooth loss were older, more often male, smokers, and seropositive, and they had higher disease activity and inflammation markers at baseline. Tooth loss was associated with higher disease activity and ESR values over time. Inflammatory markers decreased comparably across tooth loss categories. Glucocorticoid use was higher among those with more tooth loss, whereas dose reduction was similar across tooth loss categories. Among 7,179 NDB participants with longstanding RA, disease activity and inflammation markers but not SJC were significantly higher in patients with more tooth loss.

CONCLUSION

Although we observed an association between tooth loss and disease activity scores and inflammation markers in early and established RA, longitudinal results suggest that tooth loss does not hamper treatment response.

From the Matrix to the Nucleus and Back: Mechanobiology in the Light of Health, Pathologies, and Regeneration of Oral Periodontal Tissues

Among oral tissues, the periodontium is permanently subjected to mechanical forces resulting from chewing, mastication, or orthodontic appliances. Molecularly, these movements induce a series of subsequent signaling processes, which are embedded in the biological concept of cellular mechanotransduction (MT). Cell and tissue structures, ranging from the extracellular matrix (ECM) to the plasma membrane, the cytosol and the nucleus, are involved in MT. Dysregulation of the diverse, fine-tuned interaction of molecular players responsible for transmitting biophysical environmental information into the cell's inner milieu can lead to and promote serious diseases, such as periodontitis or oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Therefore, periodontal integrity and regeneration is highly dependent on the proper integration and regulation of mechanobiological signals in the context of cell behavior. Recent experimental findings have increased the understanding of classical cellular mechanosensing mechanisms by both integrating exogenic factors such as bacterial gingipain proteases and newly discovered cell-inherent functions of mechanoresponsive co-transcriptional regulators such as the Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) or the nuclear cytoskeleton. Regarding periodontal MT research, this review offers insights into the current trends and open aspects. Concerning oral regenerative medicine or weakening of periodontal tissue diseases, perspectives on future applications of mechanobiological principles are discussed.

[Register and cohort studies : Overview of the most important data sources at the German Rheumatism Research Center]

Over the past 28 years the German Rheumatism Research Center in Berlin has initiated various epidemiological studies in which data on patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases are collected nationwide and multicentric. The spectrum ranges from rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthritis to connective tissue diseases and rheumatic diseases in childhood. Based on the respective scientific question, studies of different types were established. The German National Databases for adults and children annually collect cross-sectional data to map the care of patients. In two inception cohorts, adults with early arthritis and patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis are investigated from disease onset. The long-term observational cohorts/registries RABBIT, RABBIT-SpA and JuMBO focus on the long-term efficacy and safety of biologic drugs and other targeted treatments. Rhekiss investigates women with inflammatory rheumatic diseases when trying to become pregnant, during pregnancy and postpartum. This article highlights each of these observational studies with its characteristics as well as national and international collaborations.