Crohn's Disease Increases Risk of Dental Caries

Crohn’s Disease Increases Risk of Dental Caries

It is a common theory that people with Crohn’s disease are at increased risk for dental caries and other oral health problems, but little research has been conducted on this association—until now. Swedish researchers recently investigated this hypothesis, publishing their results in the article, “Dental Caries, Prevalence and Risk Factors in Patients with Crohn’s Disease,” which appeared in the March issue of PLoS One.

The study, led by Annsofi Johannsen, MS, PhD, and Sara Szymanska of the Department of Dental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Huddinge, Sweden, included three groups of participants:

• 71 with Crohn’s disease who had undergone resective intestinal surgery, a procedure in which diseased sections of the intestine are removed and remaining sections are adjoined

• 79 with Crohn’s disease who had not received resective surgery

• 75 controls

All subjects filled out self-assessment questionnaires pertaining to oral hygiene, dental health, medical history, and dietary habits, and received complete dental exams—including assessment of their salivary bacterial loads for the presence of the caries-causing bacteria lactobacilli and Streptococcus mutans.

Results showed that participants with Crohn’s disease who also had resective intestinal surgery had the highest scores on the decayed missing filled surfaces (DMFS) index. They also had the highest counts of both lactobacilli and S. mutans, as well as the greatest levels of dental plaque. The researchers also ascertained that men with Crohn’s disease had more decayed teeth and higher plaque levels than women with the disease. All of the subjects with Crohn’s disease consumed more fermentable carbohydrates than the control group, increasing their caries risk.

The researchers concluded that dental patients with Crohn’s disease should be informed of their increased caries risk and provided instruction on effective preventive measures. They suggest that future research should focus on creating prevention education specifically tailored to meet the individual needs of patients with Crohn’s disease.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

May 2014