Oral Manifestations and Its Associated Factors in Iranian Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patients

Abstract

Background & Objective: Due to the overall wide range of oral manifestations and the lack of comprehensively categorized information in Iran, this study was performed to investigate the prevalence of different oral manifestations and report their possible associated factors in patients with SLE. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 96 SLE patients referred to two rheumatology clinics in Yazd, Iran, from September 2020 to February 2021. SLE patients were diagnosed based on the last revision of American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria in 1997. A questionnaire was created to collect demographic information and oral health status. Data were analyzed using SPSS v20.0 and p-values of P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: This study included 13 men (13.5%) and 83 women (86.5%), with an average age of 31.9 ±11.35 years. Oral lesions were diagnosed in 64.4% of patients, with white and red lesions being the most frequent (58%), and the most common region involved was buccal mucosa (25.8%). 97.1% of participants had caries and 86.5% had periodontal diseases. There was a significant association between the presence of oral lesions and female gender, longer duration and higher activity level of the disease and simultaneous presence of periodontal disease and missing or filled teeth. (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Given the frequency of oral lesions in more than 60% of patients, as well as the high incidence of caries and periodontal disorders, regular oral examinations in these patients appear to be particularly important.