AB0644 ORAL HEALTH AWARENESS, DENTAL HABITS AND REFERRAL REQUEST IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Authors: F. J. Torres-Quintanilla, A. K. Garza-Elizondo, J. C. Riega-Torres, J. A. Cardenas-de la Garza, D. A. Galarza-Delgado
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher incidence of periodontal disease. (1) High RA activity is associated with periodontitis, tooth loss and low oral health (OH) related quality of life. (2) Awareness of OH may have an impact on the evolution of the disease. <h3>Objectives:</h3> The aim of this study is to determine the OH impact awareness in the rheumatologic condition among RA patients and their dental habits and needs. <h3>Methods:</h3> Cross-sectional, comparative, single-centre study in an outpatient Rheumatology clinic. Patients fulfilling the 1987 ACR and/or the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria classification for RA between December 2021 and November 2023 were enrolled consecutively. Demographics, disease duration and comorbidities data were collected. Self-perceived OH was assessed with the Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment Index Spanish Version (GOHAI-SP) survey. Annual dental consultations, daily frequency of tooth brushing, previous recommendation for dental consultation from the rheumatologist and patient request for dental referral data were collected in a survey. Patients were divided in groups depending on the awareness of the impact of OH in the disease. Frequencies and percentages were used for qualitative variables and were compared using Chi-square test. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for normality. Quantitative variables were described using median and the 25th and 75th percentiles (p25-p75) and were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. A <i>p</i>-value ≤0.05 was considered significant. <h3>Results:</h3> A total of 322 patients were included: 175 (54.3%) were aware of the OH impact in the disease condition and 147 (45.7%) were not. There was no difference in age, gender, disease duration, or GOHAI-SP score between groups. Patients with dental health awareness had previous orientation and recommendation for dental referral by the rheumatologist more frequently (78.3% vs 6.8%, p &lt;0.001) and attend dental consultations more often. Patients with no OH awareness request dental attention more frequently (91.1% vs 70.8%, p &lt;0.001) after taking the survey. Full results are shown in Table 1. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> RA patients with OH awareness attend dental consultations more often, had previous dental orientation and referral from the rheumatologist more frequently and require less dental referral during rheumatologic assessment than those with no awareness. Most patients with no health awareness seek dental attention after receiving OH information regarding its association with their rheumatologic disease. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] Falcao A, Bullón P. A review of the influence of periodontal treatment in systemic diseases. Periodontol 2000 2019;79:117–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/prd.12249. [2] Schmalz G, Noack S, Patschan S, Patschan D, Müller GA, Rupprecht A, et al. Disease activity, morning stiffness and missing teeth are associated with oral health-related quality of life in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Oral Investig 2020;24:3559–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-020-03226-3. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared.</b>