Evaluation of Dental and Periodontal Health Status in Leprosy Patients during Three Different Stages of Drug Regimen: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: The prevalence of oral lesions in leprosy patients and the risk of developing them with the disease are considerably high. Multidrug Therapy (MDT) can effectively treat leprosy, but its effectiveness is heavily dependent on early detection, when chronic disability might be avoided. Poor oral hygiene combined with weakened immunity increases the risk of developing oral lesions in leprosy patients and impacts their overall health.

Aim: To evaluate the oral, dental and periodontal findings in patients during three different stages of drug regimen.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 known leprosy patients from four leprosy facilities in the Vidarbha area, Maharashtra, India. Comprehensive oral examination was performed from July 2022 to September 2022, including the Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, assessment of Non-Carious Cervical Lesions (NCCLs), Plaque Index (PI), Papillary bleeding Index (PBI) and complete periodontal examination by measuring Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) and Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL). Descriptive statistics were done utilising SPSS version 23. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to check the mean difference between the three groups. The statistical significance established was p<0.05.

Results: The evaluation revealed the prevalence of decayed teeth as 103 out of 150 (68%), that of a missing tooth was 93 out of 150 (62%). NCCLs were found in 80 out of 150 with the prevalence of abrasion as seen in 51 (63.7%) patients and 38 patients (47.5%) for abfraction, and 18 out of 80 patients (22.5%) for erosion. Comparing the PI and PBI between the groups, significantly higher scores were observed in patients who had not undergone treatment (p-value <0.01). CAL was found to be statistically significant with higher scores in patients who had completed their treatment (p-value <0.001).

Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that the NCCLS and the DMFT scores were higher in the untreated group. However, there was increased attachment loss in treated patients, which can be supplemented to the drug therapy prescribed for leprosy