Dental caries and risk indicators for patients with leprosy in China.
BACKGROUND
In leprosy, oral health is often neglected and poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk indicators of dental caries in patients with leprosy in China.


METHODS
This cross-sectional, multicentre study included 613 patients with leprosy and 602 control subjects. Based on the established standards of the World Health Organization, we investigated dental caries in cluster samplings from six so-called 'leprosy villages' in three Chinese provinces. Clinical oral examinations were performed and data were reported as decayed (D), missing (M) and filled (F) teeth (DMFT scores).


RESULTS
The average DMFT scores were 10.39 in patients with leprosy (D = 4.43; M = 5.94; and F = 0.02) and 4.39 in control individuals (D = 2.29; M = 2.02; F = 0.08). The DMFT scores were statistically significantly different in patients with different ages, educational backgrounds and daily brushing frequency (P < 0.05). High DMFT scores were related to age, low educational levels and poor toothbrushing habits.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that patients with leprosy have a high prevalence of severe dental caries. Effective therapy and oral health education should be enhanced for this group of patients.
Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Department of Stomatology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Yue
Y
Guo
Baodi District People's Hospital of Tianjin City, Tianjin, China.
Li-Li
LL
Tian
Department of Stomatology, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Feng-Yi
FY
Zhang
Department of Stomatology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Yan-Hong
YH
Bu
Department of Stomatology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Yun-Zhi
YZ
Feng
Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Hou-De
HD
Zhou
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Dental caries; health education; leprosy; risk indicators
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