Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chronic Periodontitis in Adults: A Hospital Based Study

ABSTRACT

Background: The chronic inflammation of periodontal disease (PD) with the constant release of inflammatory mediators may be a risk factor for the development of systemic inflammatory disease. Hence, development of both diseases brings considerable consequences for public health and for the quality of life of affected individuals.  To test whether a relationship exist between Periodontitis and RA, this study is being conducted. Methods: This is hospital based case control study, a total of 100 subjects between the ages 20-70 years were included in the study. Group A includes selection of 50 patients diagnosed RA by the Rheumatologist, Group B 50 general patients without rheumatoid arthritis. All participants underwent a full-mouth periodontal examination on six sites per tooth assessing probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (AL). Results: The prevalence of periodontitis was 78% and 42% for RA and control group. Thus, the present study reported that more severe form of periodontitis existed in rheumatoid arthritis patients. These results indicated  that the prevalence of mild to moderate periodontitis was seen in control group. Conclusions: persons who are suffering from RA are also very likely to suffer from moderate to severe periodontitis. Our finding suggests large population-based studies will be needed to define the role of periodontitis in RA disease susceptibility. However, our findings suggest greater attention to periodontal care among the RA patients.