The effectiveness of dental caries treatment in children of prepubertal and pubertal age with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Annotation. Despite the modern achievements in dentistry, multiple teeth decay in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a widespread problem. The search for new methods of treatment and prevention of these lesions is an actual task for scientists. Therefore, the aim of the research was to study the effectiveness of the developed comprehensive treatment and prevention of multiple dental caries in children with JRA. We carried out a study of 53 children with JRA aged 8-16 years: 14 children of the second childhood and 12 – adolescence, who made up the main group and, respectively, 14 and 13 children of the comparative group. Evaluation of the efficiency of treatment and preventive measures was studied according to the values of dental caries intensity, and data of content of the main electrolytes and their regulators in the blood: total and ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, parathyroid hormone, alkaline and acid phosphatase activity. For statistical analysis, the program “Statistica 6.1” was used. Carrying out treatment and prevention measures of dental caries in children of the main and comparative groups with JRA contributed to the elimination of relative hypophosphatemia and hypocalcemia and the normalization of other indicators of calcium and phosphorus metabolism (content and activity of biological catalysts), which were detected before treatment. At the same time, in two years of observation of pre-pubertal children in the comparison group, the DMF+df index was three times higher than in the main group. In the pubertal age period, the DMF index in children of the comparison group exceeded the same index of the main group by 3.4 times. Performing only basic therapy with correction of mineral metabolism and vitamin balance in the body of children with JRA is insufficient for effective prevention of carious lesions of the teeth. The results of a dental examination show high clinical efficiency of the proposed method for the treatment and prevention of dental caries. This indicated the expediency of its implementation in practical health care.