title: Characteristics and relationship of periodontal disease with juvenile idiopathic and rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most prevalent chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. It is correlated with periodontal disease due to similar factors that exist in both diseases. The present study assessed the relationship of periodontal disease with RA and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
  
  
  METHODS
  In this case-control study, 30 RA and 30 JIA patients along with similar number of matched controls were selected among patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Periodontal parameters including pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), O'Leary and Bay plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were determined in cases and controls. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, number of painful and inflamed joints and severity of disease were evaluated in RA and JIA patients. Mann-Whitney U-test nonparametric, Spearman and Pearson's correlation coefficients, and Chi-square tests were used as statistical analysis (α = 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PD (4.17 vs. 3.6 mm; P < 0.0001), CAL (4.89 vs. 4.18 mm; P < 0.002), percentage of sites with PD >4 mm (58.83% vs. 44.33%; P < 0.002), percentage of sites with CAL >3 mm (74.13% vs. 64.4%; P < 0.001), percentage of sites with BOP (9.67% vs. 6.87%; P < 0.0001) and PI index (85.73% vs. 80.63%; P < 0.0001) were significantly higher in RA patients than controls. In this group, direct and significant correlations were found between serologic findings, disease severity and number of painful and inflamed joints with periodontal factors. In JIA patients, no significant relationships were found between JIA findings and periodontal parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the limitations of this study, there was a relationship between RA and periodontal disease. Severity of periodontal disease increases in patients with RA, while no increased risk of periodontal disease or its severity was observed among JIA patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Surena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vahabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abdolrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rostamian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dental School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghazaleh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baniebrahimi
keywords: Juvenile; case-control studies; periodontitis; rheumatoid arthritis