Associasion between dental caries according to the DMFT index and epilepsy in the Azar cohort population

Abstract

Introduction: The quality of life of people with epilepsy is significantly lower than others, and the physical and mental health of these patients is at greater risk than the general population. Oral and dental health is one of the health components that are affected in these patients. However, the impact of epilepsy on the oral health of adults is not well known. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between epilepsy and dental caries based on the DMFT index in the Azar cohort population. Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, and the target population is adults with epilepsy. From the number of 129 epileptic people in the Azar cohort study, considering exclusion criteria (people with a complete denture or an incomplete questionnaire), the data of 77 people along with the data of 167 participants as a control group -matched in age and sex- was extracted. Data collection in the Azar cohort study was done using four questionnaires including one general questionnaire, two clinical questionnaires, and one food frequency questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS-ver23 software and statistical significance was considered less than 0.05 (p<0.05). Regression analysis was used for data analysis assuming negative binomial distribution with log-link function. Results: The results showed that the mean (SD) of the DMFT index in the whole sample was 14.05 (6.68), and the mean was significantly higher in the group with epilepsy (16.25 ± 7.27) than the control group (13.04 ± 6.15) (p≤0.001). Considering potential confounders, in the multiple regression analysis, no significant association between epilepsy and dental caries was observed. In the group with epilepsy, the mean caries based on the DMFT index increased significantly with age (p≤0.001). Also, in people with epilepsy, the mean of caries based on the DMFT index was significantly higher in people with poor socio-economic status compared to people with moderate socio-economic status (p≤0.001). Conclusion: In the present study, even though the mean of caries in the epilepsy group was significantly higher than the control group, no significant association between epilepsy and dental caries was observed in the regression analysis. Considering that the mean of dental caries in people with epilepsy was higher in people with poor socio-economic status, there is a need for comprehensive support, especially social support in these patients.