Assessment of oral health status in chronic headache patients and its comparison with healthy control

Abstract

Introduction: Headache is a common problem with intense side effects on quality of life. Dental and maxillofacial problems, including dental infections and temporomandibular disorders may trigger the onset of headache or have direct impact on the intensity of headache. The purpose of this paper is assessment of oral health indexes in chronic headache patients and compare it with a healthy control group. Material & Methods: Thirty chronic headache patients based on diagnosis by a neurologist were enrolled in our study and thirty healthy volunteers were recruited into the control group. Dental and periodontal examination were carried out in order to evaluate of the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index, the assessment of community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) index and determination of tooth wear status and oral health status. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS statistical package (version 20, IBM). Results: Mean age, educational level, tooth brushing, using dental floss and DMFT index was not statistically different between chronic headache patients and control group. There was no statistically significant difference in CPITN index between cases and control group (p-value=0.538). Conclusion: This study suggest that chronic headache patients have an acceptable oral hygiene which may be attribute to their attempts to omit pain from head and oral region. Considering high prevalence of chronic headache, planning a protocol for oral hygiene instruction is necessary. In this regard, coordination between neurologists and oral medicine specialists can be very effective.