DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2015.v02i02.016

Pages: 175-180

Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multi-system, autoimmune disease. Periodontal disease is associated with alveolar bone resorption and eventual tooth loss and is commonly seen in RA patients. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in patients with RA. This historical cohort study was conducted on two groups of RA patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n=50 each). Periodontal status of groups was compared by assessing the number of teeth, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), alveolar bone loss (ABL) and plaque index (PI). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19, t-test, and Mann Whitney test. Participants in each group included 45 females and 5 males with a mean age of 44.66 years in the case and 44.96 years in the control group. The overall CAL (P=0.000), relative frequency of areas with PPD>3mm (P=0.001), ABL (P=0.000), relative frequency of areas with CAL (P=0.010) and PI (P=0.010) were significantly higher in RA group compared to controls. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of BOP, number of teeth, and the relative frequency of areas with ABL (P>0.05). No significant association was found between any drug intake and periodontal parameters (P>0.05).RA patients had poorer periodontal status. Special care must be taken to prevent the progression of periodontitis in these patients.