Does parkinsonism affect periodontal health? A cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital

Muscular rigidity, tremors, and bradykinesia with diminished motor skills are the characteristic features of Parkinson's disease (PD).

The study investigated the influence of reduced motor proficiency on the periodontal health of PD patients and compared it with controls.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on PD patients selected from outpatient section of a tertiary healthcare center and compared with age- and gender-matched controls.

Oral health status of the subjects was graded based on decayed, missing, and filled teeth index, oral hygiene index (OHI), modified gingival index, probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), tooth mobility, interproximal PPD, and interproximal CAL measurements. PD patients were categorized based on Hoehn and Yahr scale and duration to assess the influence of PD severity and progression.

Difference in the mean values of quantitative variables was analyzed by parametric t-test and Chi-square test for categorical variables.

In PD patients, 84.4% of subjects had moderate-severe gingivitis, while it was 2.4% in the control group. Mean number of interproximal sites with CAL >5 mm in PD patients and control subjects was 8.41 ± 6.37 and 1.12 ± 2.28, respectively (P < 0.05). The mean OHI was 2.90 ± 0.81 in patients with mild PD and increased to 3.77 ± 0.52 as PD severity exalted.

PD patients had impaired oral condition with higher OHI and increased gingival inflammation with a likelihood of male predisposition. Substantial interproximal tissue destruction, debilitated periodontal health as PD progresses, suggests early attention toward their oral health.