Oral Manifestations in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Rheumatology Clinic in Southeast Iran

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) as an autoimmune disease involving joints can cause oral manifestations in patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of oral manifestations in patients with RA referred to the rheumatology clinic of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Methods: The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional observational study and included all patients with RA who were referred to Imam Ali Hospital, Zahedan Rheumatology Clinic for treatment in 2022. The method was non-probability convenience sampling and the obtained information was recorded in the information form made by the researcher. After collecting the data, the raw data was entered into the statistical software SPSS version 24 and analyzed using t-test and Fisher\u27s exact test. Results: According to the findings of the present study, there is no significant difference between the frequency of oral manifestations of 55 patients with RA referred to the rheumatology clinic of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in the two groups of men and women (Pvalue=0.50). Also, the average age of people in the two groups of patients with oral manifestations and patients without oral manifestations is not statistically significant (Pvalue=0.50). The frequency distribution of oral manifestations of patients with RA showed that xerostomia was the most frequent among oral manifestations. Conclusions: It seems that the frequency of oral mucosal lesions in people with RA is high and their importance can be emphasized as a possible complication of the disease