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Oral State and Salivary Cortisol in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Aleksandra Kapel-Reguła1, Justyna Chojdak-Łukasiewicz2, Anna Rybińska3
1Private Dental Practice AL-DENTA, 48-303 Nysa, Poland.
Biomedicines
|October 26, 2024
Summary
Multiple sclerosis patients exhibit more oral health issues and poorer hygiene habits, including less frequent brushing. Early and consistent dental care is crucial for managing these symptoms alongside their neurological condition.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Oral Health
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts oral health due to functional limitations, bulbar symptoms, cognitive decline, and psychiatric issues.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients face challenges affecting their oral status, hygiene, and salivary cortisol levels.
- Systemic factors like disease duration, therapies, disability, and lifestyle influence oral health in MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the oral condition, hygiene practices, and salivary cortisol in RRMS patients versus healthy controls.
- To assess the correlation between systemic parameters (disease duration, disability) and oral health in MS patients.
- To investigate the relationship between salivary cortisol and oral health indicators in MS.
Main Methods:
- Oral examinations were conducted on 101 RRMS patients and 51 healthy controls.
- Evaluated parameters included dentition, restorations, oral hygiene indices (API, SBI), and salivary cortisol.
- Systemic data collected: disease duration, Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT), Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and lifestyle factors.
Main Results:
- MS patients reported more professional activity, dysphagia, dysarthria, xerostomia, and taste disturbances.
- MS patients demonstrated poorer oral hygiene habits, brushing less frequently, with higher API and lower SBI.
- EDSS correlated with age, disease duration, missing teeth, fillings, and neurological tests, but not with salivary cortisol.
Conclusions:
- MS patients require specialized and continuous dental care to address their unique oral health challenges.
- Preventive oral hygiene strategies are essential for MS patients to mitigate disease-related complications.
- While salivary cortisol levels did not differ, their correlation with disability underscores the systemic impact of MS on overall health.
