Periodontal disease in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A case–control study

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Objective To evaluate the prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis patients. Subjects and Methods This cross‐sectional study included 128 RA and 109 healthy controls. Two dentists conducted periodontal status including Plaque index (PI), Gingival index (GI), pocket probing depths (PPDs), Clinical attachment level (CAL) and Bleeding on probing (BOP) independently. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, clinical parameters and use of medication were assessed. Data were analyzed by Student's t test, χ 2 test, Wilcoxin‐Mann‐ Whitney's test, Correlational Analysis, univariate or multivariate logistic regression. Results The periodontal status was significantly worse in RA, especially the condition of dental and gingival status. RA had 4.68‐fold. After adjusted potential risk factors, RA had 10.26‐fold. The independent variable related to GI was DAS28 ( p = .05) negatively, to the contrary, ESR ( p = .013) was positively associated; the independent variable positively and related to periodontitis was educational level ( p = .021) and anti‐CCP positivity ( p = .002). Through multivariate logistic regression, age and swollen joint were the independent variable related to periodontitis of RA (OR 1.087, p = .044) and (OR 1.560, p = .008) respectively. Conclusions Chinese RA patients show higher odds of PD. It is important to take early interventions in combination with medical therapy.