02665nas a2200505   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001000070653000900080653001100089653001000100653001100110653001100121653001200132653000900144653001600153653001900169653001700188653001700205653001500222653003000237653003100267653001000298653001900308653001600327100001200343700001500355700001500370700001400385700001300399700001500412700001200427700001500439700001600454700001400470700001200484245007000496856005100566300001100617490000700628050001500635520149500650022001402145       2009                            d  c2009 Jun10aAdolescent10aAdult10aAged10aBrazil10aChild10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMouth Diseases10aMouth Mucosa10aPeriodontium10aPrevalence10aSeverity of Illness Index10aSurveys and Questionnaires10aTooth10aTooth Diseases10aYoung Adult1 aSouza V1 aEmmerich A1 aCoutinho E1 aFreitas M1 aSilva EH1 aMerçon FG1 aSouza A1 aBalla VA C1 aZandonadi E1 aPeixoto R1 aDeps PD00aDental and oral condition in leprosy patients from Serra, Brazil.  uhttps://leprosyreview.org/article/80/2/15-6163  a156-630 v80  aSOUZA 20093 a<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>To describe dental and periodontal diseases and oral lesions in newly diagnosed leprosy patients.</p><p><b>DESIGN: </b>Cohort study with 99 leprosy patients carried out at the Leprosy Control Programme Outpatient Clinic, Serra-ES, Brazil. A questionnaire about demographic and clinical data was used. Clinical oral examination was performed through the decayed, missing and filled teeth index (DMFT index), the use and need of prosthesis, periodontal disease and the presence of mucous membrane oral lesions. Skin and oral mucous biopsies were also undertaken.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Decayed teeth were present in 73% of the patients, at least one lost tooth was present in 71.4%, the mean of the number of lost teeth among the patients in this survey was 88; and 603% of the patients did not have their teeth filled. Periodontal disease was present in 80.8%, and gingival bleeding in 92% of the patients. DMFT index average was 14.4. Nine out of the 63 patients presented with oral clinical lesions, however, most of them presented with unspecific chronic inflammation and typical epithelial hyperplasia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>These newly diagnosed leprosy patients were similar in respect of oral health to the normal Brazilian population. Serious dental loss and edentulism were observed, as were a high DMFT index and frequency of periodontal diseases. These data highlight a lack of oral health prevention and treatment and poor access even when available.</p>  a0305-7518