Identification of oral symptoms associated with atopic dermatitis in adolescents: Results from the Korea national representative survey 2009\u20132017

Ji-Su Shim,Min-Suk Yang

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-76532-1

Ji-Su Shim, Min-Suk Yang

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76532-1

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Abstract

The relationship between oral health and atopic dermatitis (AD) remains unclear. Here we investigated the association between oral health status and AD using data from 634,299 subjects in the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS). Participants with oral symptoms were defined as those with any of following: sensitive teeth, toothache, bleeding gums or gum pain, and dry mouth. Current AD was determined by the question if participant had been diagnosed with AD from doctor within the past 12 months. We estimated the odds ratio (OR) for AD diagnosis according to the presence of oral symptoms. The OR for current AD, which is a dependent variable, was significantly increased in participants with oral symptoms, which are independent variables, in an adjusted model (OR, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26–1.29; P < 0.001). In detailed analyses, all four oral symptoms were significantly associated with AD diagnosis: sensitive teeth (OR, 1.21; CI, 1.19–1.23; P < 0.001), bad breath (OR, 1.18; CI, 1.17–1.20; P < 0.001), toothache (OR, 1.18; CI, 1.16–1.20; P < 0.001), and bleeding gums (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.12–1.16; P < 0.001). In the presence of oral symptoms, the ORs for having two or more allergic diseases (AD, allergic rhinitis, and/or asthma) were higher than that of AD alone. In this study, oral symptoms appeared to be associated with AD in Korean adolescences.

Highlights

The relationship between oral health and atopic dermatitis (AD) remains unclear
Risk of having current AD according to the presence of oral symptoms
We found that the presence of oral symptoms was associated with increased risk for physiciandiagnosed current AD in Korean adolescents aged 12–18 years

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between oral health and atopic dermatitis (AD) remains unclear. Here we investigated the association between oral health status and AD using data from 634,299 subjects in the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey (KYRBS). All four oral symptoms were significantly associated with AD diagnosis: sensitive teeth (OR, 1.21; CI, 1.19–1.23; P < 0.001), bad breath (OR, 1.18; CI, 1.17–1.20; P < 0.001), toothache (OR, 1.18; CI, 1.16–1.20; P < 0.001), and bleeding gums (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.12–1.16; P < 0.001). A progression of allergic conditions in childhood, so called the “atopic march”, is well e stablished[8], there are still children and adolescents with a single allergic disease only The mechanism of this susceptibility difference is not known exactly, but may arise from the differences in structural, genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. Since there was a large population-based national survey of adolescents in Korea, which included the questions on oral symptoms, such as sensitive teeth, toothache, bleeding or painful gums, and bad breath, we decided to investigate the association between the presence of AD and available oral symptoms in Korean adolescents using this data. Our hypothesis is that adolescents with oral symptoms may have a higher prevalence of AD

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