Orofacial and dental condition in leprosy

Abstract

AIM: To verify the orofacial and dental complex in individuals affected by leprosy concerning lesions, prevalence of dental caries and biofilm storage. METHODS: This study was performed on 56 patients with leprosy: 28 under treatment and 28 treated for the disease. A clinical form was prepared to include demographic and leprosy data. The prevalence of caries was analyzed using the decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index and oral hygiene was evaluated using the Plaque Control Record. The statistical significance was measured by chi-square and Student's t-test. RESULTS: The mean age was 56.4 years, and there was predominance of males. The treatment group had more women (Pearson ÷2=12.47, p=0.0004) and younger patients (Pearson ÷2=9.688, p=0.0079) than the healed group. As much as 30.4% of patients had orofacial complaints related to the disease. The most often observed variations of normality as racial melanin pigmentation (67.8%) and lingual varices (32.1%), and lesions such as atrophy of the anterior nasal spine (25%), inflammatory papillary hyperplasia (17.8%), and collapse of the nasal bridge (14.3%). There were no specific oral lesions among leprosy patients. The mean DMFT was 20.8 and the Plaque Control Record was 70.2%. The treated group had higher DMFT than the treatment group (Student's t p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The oral health status of individuals with leprosy is poor, with high levels of plaque and DMFT. No oral lesions associated with the disease were seen.