Severe Periodontitis Is a Major Contributory Factor to Unmet Dental Healthcare Needs among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Hong Kong

Mo Yin Mok; Wing Yin Kong; Katherine Chiu Man Leung; Mei Kuen Chow; Yi Lo; Claudia Pui Ling Tsang; Henry Kwok Kong Fung; Wallace Chak Sing Lau; Wai Keung Leung

doi:10.1155/2022/8710880

Severe Periodontitis Is a Major Contributory Factor to Unmet Dental Healthcare Needs among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Hong Kong

Int J Dent. 2022 Dec 2:2022:8710880. doi: 10.1155/2022/8710880. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Mo Yin Mok¹, Wing Yin Kong¹, Katherine Chiu Man Leung², Mei Kuen Chow³, Yi Lo⁴, Claudia Pui Ling Tsang⁵, Henry Kwok Kong Fung⁶, Wallace Chak Sing Lau⁴, Wai Keung Leung²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
² Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
³ School of Nursing, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
⁵ Department of Physiotherapy, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
⁶ Department of Occupational Therapy, Queen Mary Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the frequency and predictive factors of adverse oral and dental outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with the goal to address their unmet dental healthcare needs in the metropolitan city of Hong Kong.

Methods: 238 RA patients followed up at local public hospitals were recruited in this cross-sectional study. A full dental examination was performed. Data were compared with the retrospective data collected from age-matched control groups in the community conducted in a territory-wide oral health survey in 2011. Predictive factors for severe periodontitis including various demographic and disease-specific factors were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: Loose teeth and gum bleeding were frequent dental complaints. Only 85.0% of RA patients had >20 natural teeth. Total edentulism was observed in 3.8% of patients, which was higher among adult (22-64 years) and elderly (>65 years old) RA patients than their respective age-matched community control groups. RA patients had a higher decayed, missing, and filled tooth score. Adult RA patients had a 5.3-fold increase in risk of severe periodontitis than their community counterparts. The plaque index was the main predisposing factor for severe periodontitis (odds ratio 17.5, p=0.001), which was worse among the 22-34 age group of patients. More RA patients required tooth extraction compared to dental filling for their community controls.

Conclusion: Severe periodontitis is a major cause of unmet dental healthcare needs among RA patients in Hong Kong. It is recommended that dental care plans for RA patients be commenced early among newly diagnosed patients.