Performance of self-reported measures for periodontitis in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the performance of self-report against the reference standard of clinically defined periodontitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) after accounting for factors associated with periodontitis. METHODS: Six self-report periodontitis questions were evaluated in patients with RA and OA. Questions were validated against a reference standard of severe and moderate-to-severe periodontitis based on full-mouth examination. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the performance of: 1) self-report alone; 2) age, sex, education, and smoking status; and 3) a combination of the above. Model performance was assessed using the c-statistic. Convergent validity of self-reported "bone loss/deep pockets" and "loose teeth" was assessed; associations of self-report with RA disease characteristics were explored. RESULTS: Self-report performed similarly in RA and OA, with individual question specificity for periodontitis ≥ 68% and sensitivity from 9.8% to 45%. Question-only models yielded c-statistics of 0.66 to 0.72, whereas risk factor-only models yielded c-statistics of 0.74 to 0.79. The highest-performing models incorporated both self-report questions and periodontitis risk factors, with c-statistics ≥ 0.79. Greater radiographic alveolar bone loss was observed among participants reporting "bone loss/deep pockets" (P < 0.001) and "loose teeth" (P < 0.001). Among patients with RA, "loose teeth," but not other self-report items, was associated with rheumatoid factor positivity (P = 0.047) and higher disease activity (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient self-report, when combined with other risk factors, performs well in identifying periodontitis among patients with RA and OA. Self-report questions related to alveolar bone loss exhibit excellent convergent validity in these patient subsets.

Bone density around endosseous implants in patients taking alendronate: a pilot study.

The purpose of this blind, randomized, controlled pilot investigation was to noninvasively determine bone mineral density (BMD) changes around endosseous implants placed in healthy patients who were administered the oral aminobisphosphonate alendronate. BMD was analyzed using computed tomography (CT) and grayscale imaging. Male patients (62 ± 12 years of age) were selected for placement of implants in a two-stage protocol. Patients requiring implants were initially seen for placement of half the total number of implants unilaterally in the maxilla or mandible, and each patient underwent a baseline CT scan. Six months from baseline, contralateral implants were placed with randomization into groups receiving 70 mg of alendronate weekly or a placebo, and a second CT scan was completed. Alendronate/placebo was discontinued after 6 months, and a CT scan was completed at 12 months. Patients returned for an exit evaluation and CT scan at 18 months. Hounsfield units were measured at implant placement and nonsurgical sites in the maxilla and mandible. Within the limitations of this study, results included: a decreasing trend in BMD surrounding an implant when alendronate was administered for 6 months starting at the time of implant placement, a less evident decreasing trend in BMD surrounding an implant when alendronate was administered for 6 months after the implant had successfully undergone osseointegration, and a trend suggesting BMD "rebound" when alendronate was discontinued for 6 months after initial drug administration starting either at the time of implant placement or after the implant had successfully undergone osseointegration for 6 months.

Evaluation of the SEDline to improve the safety and efficiency of conscious sedation.

Brain function monitors have improved safety and efficiency in general anesthesia; however, they have not been adequately tested for guiding conscious sedation for periodontal surgical procedures. This study evaluated the patient state index (PSI) obtained from the SEDline monitor (Sedline Inc., San Diego, CA) to determine its capacity to improve the safety and efficiency of intravenous conscious sedation during outpatient periodontal surgery. Twenty-one patients at the periodontics clinic of Baylor College of Dentistry were admitted to the study in 2009 and sedated to a moderate level using midazolam and fentanyl during periodontal surgery. The PSI monitoring was blinded from the clinician, and the following data were collected: vital signs, Ramsay sedation scale (RSS), medications administered, adverse events, PSI, electroencephalography, and the patients' perspective through visual analogue scales. The data were correlated to evaluate the PSI's ability to assess the level of sedation. Results showed that the RSS and PSI did not correlate (r = -0.25) unless high values associated with electromyographical (EMG) activity were corrected (r = -0.47). Oxygen desaturation did not correlate with the PSI (r = -0.08). Satisfaction (r = -0.57) and amnesia (r = -0.55) both increased as the average PSI decreased. In conclusion, within the limits of this study, PSI appears to correlate with amnesia, allowing a practitioner to titrate medications to that effect. It did not provide advance warning of adverse events and had inherent inaccuracies due to EMG activity during oral surgery. The PSI has the potential to increase safety and efficiency in conscious sedation but requires further development to eliminate EMG activity from confounding the score.

Association of periodontitis with rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Similarities exist in the epidemiology and immunopathogenesis of periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the associations between their respective disease activities and severities are less well documented. We evaluated the prevalence and severity of periodontitis in United States (U.S.) veterans with RA and their relationship to RA disease activity and severity. METHODS: Patients with RA from an outpatient rheumatology clinic were eligible, and patients with osteoarthritis (OA) served as controls. Dentists, masked to the rheumatologic diagnoses, performed periodontal probing and examined dental panoramic radiographs to assess the presence and severity of periodontitis. Associations of periodontitis with RA were examined using multivariate regression, whereas the association of periodontitis with disease-severity measures in RA was examined using the chi(2) test. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients with RA (57 males and 12 females) and 35 patients with OA (30 males and five females) were studied. Moderate to severe periodontitis was more prevalent in patients with RA (51%) than controls (26%) (P = 0.03), an association independent of age, race, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and gender. Patients with RA who were seropositive for rheumatoid factor (RF) were more likely to have moderate to severe periodontitis (59%) than patients who were RF negative (15%) (P = 0.02). Likewise, patients with RA who were positive for the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies were more likely to have moderate to severe periodontitis (56%) than patients who were anti-CCP negative (22%) (P = 0.01). There were no associations of periodontitis status with other measures of RA disease activity or severity. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of U.S. veterans, periodontitis was more common and severe in patients with RA compared to patients with OA. Although unrelated to disease activity, the presence of periodontitis in patients with RA was associated with seropositivity for RF and the anti-CCP antibody, which was highly relevant given the associations of these autoantibodies with poor outcomes and disease pathogenesis in RA.