Is discontinuation of dental treatment related to exacerbation of systemic medical diseases in Japan?

Abstract

Aims Since it is known that oral problems affect various medical diseases, the effects of restrictions on visits for dental treatment on exacerbations of various systemic medical diseases were examined.Method and materials The data were used from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey, a large-scale internet survey conducted in 2021 (n = 28,175). The questionnaires were distributed to 33,081 candidates who were selected to represent the Japanese population regarding age, sex and residential prefecture using a simple random sampling procedure. Patients currently undergoing treatment for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, asthma, cardiocerebrovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, atopic dermatitis, and mental illness, such as depression, were extracted from the total participants. Then, whether discontinuation of dental treatment affected the exacerbation of their systemic disease was examined.Results Overall, 50-60% of patients with each systemic disease had continued to receive dental treatment, and 4-8% of them had discontinued dental treatment. On univariate and multivariate analyses, discontinuation of dental treatment is a risk factor in the exacerbation of diabetes mellitus, hypertensive conditions, asthma, cardiocerebrovascular disease and hyperlipidemia.Conclusion The present epidemiological study showed the relationship between oral health and systemic health, which can provide meaningful insights regarding future medical-dental collaboration in Japan.