Study on Association of Systemic Diseases on Tooth Loss and Oral Health

Aim: To evaluate the level of oral hygiene in patients of various systemic illnesses.

Materials and Methods: A total of 450 patients from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Capital Development Authority, Islamic International Dental College, Islamabad and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, suffering from diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disorders (with and without diabetes mellitus), respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, hepatic disorders, renal disorders, bone/joint disorders and hypertension were selected. Dental examination was performed to calculate the number of missing teeth, decayed, missing and filled teeth (D.M.F.T.) and decayed, missing and filled surfaces (D.M.F.S.) scores in order to compare oral health between different disease groups.

Results: Age, gender, number of missing teeth, D.M.F.T. and D.M.F.S. scores were significantly associated with the systemic diseases (p <0.05). The diseases causing poor oral hygiene in descending order of severity were as follows: cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus with cardiovascular disorders, diabetes mellitus, bone/ joint disorders, hypertension, renal diseases, hepatic disorders, gastrointestinal disorders and respiratory diseases.

Conclusion: Patients with systemic diseases have greater risk of compromised oral hygiene, tooth loss, high D.M.F.T. and D.M.F.S. scores showing the association between systemic diseases and oral health. There is a need for collaboration between dentists and medical physicians to improve the health of the patient.