Association Between Periodontitis and Ankylosing Spondylitis Considering the Effect of Drugs

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Dental Research Center, Jorjani Clinical sciences Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran

2 Golestan Rheumatology Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Periodontitis impairs teeth structure through inflammatory-related mechanisms and is found to be related to general diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. With a similar pathogenesis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) may also accompany periodontitis. But studies have reported contradictory and controversial results on the association of this chronic rheumatoid disorder, affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints, with periodontitis. In addition, in most studies, the efficacy of anti-AS drugs on periodontal parameters has not been discussed. Therefore, we designed this research to examine the relationship between periodontitis and AS considering the effect of consuming drugs.
Methods: Fifty-five patients from the rheumatology department were compared and matched with 20 patients (controls) referred to departments other than rheumatology; cases were divided into separate groups based on drug consumption (NSAIDS and/or anti-TNF). AS severity and periodontal indices, including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), clinical attachment loss (CAL), periodontal pocket depth (PPD), and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were recorded, and their association was analyzed using SPSS (16) by the Chi-square test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.
Results: Seventy-five individuals (average age of 39.00 ± 9.74 years) completed the study; PPD, CAL, PI, and GBI were similar between the study groups (P > 0.05), but new patients with AS had a larger value of GI than controls (P = 0.008). The mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score did not differ significantly across the different levels of periodontitis severity (P = 0.476).
Conclusion: The similar frequency of periodontitis and periodontal indices among the study groups rejected a strong association between AS and periodontitis. The one parameter (GI) that was higher in newly diagnosed patients with AS shows the possible effect of drug consumption on the reduction of this index.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Journal of Oral Health and Oral Epidemiology
Volume 15
Pages 1-6

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 19 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 28 May 2026

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