The Association between Carbohydrate Intake and Periodontal Health in the Elderly

Background and Objective: Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic oral diseases worldwide. A variety of foods may affect periodontal health. Due to the importance of periodontal health in the old age, this study was designed to investigate the association between carbohydrate intake and periodontal health in the elderly in Amirkola, northern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study is part of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP). The evaluated participants included 400 elderly people (200 men and 200 women). Socio-demographic data of all subjects were recorded in the information form. Periodontal status, including plaque index (PI), periodontal disease index (PDI) and Oral Hygiene Index (OHI) were evaluated. Then, the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SQFFQ) was completed in order to receive daily carbohydrates in grams per day for all Participants. Then, the relationship between carbohydrate intake and periodontal health was evaluated. Findings: The participants consumed an average of 316±102.4 gr/day carbohydrates. The mean range of PI, OHI, PDI and in the high carbohydrate intake (>300 gr) group were 2.18±1.39, 2.84±1.51 and 1.51±0.86, respectively, and this rate was lower than the group with low carbohydrate intake (<300 gr) (1.96±1.52, 2.56±1.53 and 1.37±0.91), but the difference between the two groups was not significant. Conclusion: In the present study, there was no relationship between periodontal health indices and carbohydrate intake

Frequency of Oral Lesions and Its Relationship with Some Variables

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of oral diseases affects the prognosis and treatment. Despite advances in oral health, there are still oral health problems worldwide. Considering that culture, gender, age, ethnicity and habits may have a significant impact on the prevalence of lesions, this study was performed to investigate the frequency of oral lesions over 10 years and its relationship with some variables. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 1092 patients with various types of oral lesions who referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases of Babol Dental School during 2009-2017 were evaluated and compared based on year, age, gender, type of lesion (white and red, pigmented, vesiculobullous, orofacial and tumoral pains, and disorders associated with systemic and peripheral or central diseases). FINDINGS: In this study, out of 1092 cases, 672 cases were related to female clients (61.5%) and 420 cases (38.5%) were related to male clients (p<0.001). The mean age of the subjects was 43.2±16.81 years. The highest frequency was related to white and red lesions with 305 cases (27.9%), which was 193 cases in women (28.7%) and 112 cases in men (26.7%) (p<0.001). The highest frequency of lesions was related to the cheeks with 351 cases (32.1%) including 235 cases (35%) in women and 116 cases (27.6%) in men (p<0.01). The lowest frequency was observed in the floor of mouth in 68 cases (6.2%). Tumoral lesions had a higher mean age of involvement than other lesions (p<0.001). The frequency of orofacial pain and burning symptoms in women was significantly higher than men (p=0.006). CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the frequency of white and red lesions of the mouth is more than other cases and its most common location is in the buccal mucosa. The frequency of lesions also has a significant positive relationship with female gender

The Relationship between Depression and Periodontal Indices in the Elderly in Amirkola

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic periodontitis is a slow-growing inflammatory disease that often occurs in adults. In the elderly, periodontal indices may also change due to a number of psychological factors, such as depression and consequent changes in cortisol levels. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the relationship between depression and periodontal indices in the elderly in Amirkola, Northern Iran. METHODS: This case-control study, which is part of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP) to investigate the health status of the elderly in this city, was performed on 300 elderly people. After examination, subjects were divided into two groups: periodontitis (n=100) and control (n=200). In both groups, the presence of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), in which a score of 5 or higher is a sign of depression, and periodontal indices including OHIS and PDI were examined based on PDI≥4 periodontitis criterion. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of the association between periodontal indices and depression. FINDINGS: In this study, 133 were female (44.3%) and 167 were male (55.7%). 35 patients (35%) in the case group and 61 patients (30.5%) in the control group had symptoms of depression. The mean GDS score in patients with periodontitis (3.70±3.68) was slightly higher than healthy individuals (3.49±3.40), but no significant correlation was observed between GDS and PDI. Old age, male gender, lower level of education and smoking were higher in patients with periodontitis, which was statistically significant only in smoking and level of education (p=0.042 and p=0.009, respectively). In this study, a positive and weak relationship was observed between age and PDI (r=0.19 and p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The results showed that there is a relationship between periodontal indices and depression. Although it was not statistically significant, it is clinically noteworthy