Evaluation of periodontal health in breast cancer patients undergoing tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors drugs therapy: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

To study the dental and periodontal status of women with breast cancer (BCa) having tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (AIs) treatment in comparison with control healthy women. Fifty-one women on tamoxifen therapy, 52 women on AIs therapy and 52 systemically healthy controls were included in the study. The total number of teeth, the number of teeth indicated for extraction, the number of decayed teeth, and the duration of medication were recorded. Periodontal status was evaluated with gingival index (GI); plaque index (PI); bleeding on probing (BOP); probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). The lowest number of teeth and decayed teeth was found in AIs users (P<.001 and P=.003 respectively). The highest CAL value was seen in AIs users (P=.042) whereas no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of PI, GI, and PD (P=.102, P=.233, and P=.306, respectively). Lower PI was observed in patients using AIs for less than 2 years (P=.048). While tamoxifen did not affect the dental and periodontal condition, AIs medication adversely affected the dental and periodontal condition by more tooth loss and higher CAL.