Evaluation of dental and gingival disease findings and the frequency of periodontitis in patients with acromegaly

Introduction and Aim: Acromegaly is a rare disease that affects multiple systems, resulting from overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Many studies have been conducted on systemic involvement in acromegaly. However, studies evaluating dental and gingival disease findings are limited. In our study, it was aimed to determine the dental and gingival disease findings and the frequency of periodontitis in patients with acromegaly. Materials and Methods: Our study is a prospective case-control study. 35 patients with acromegaly and 35 healthy volunteers were included in our study. A dental examination was performed at the Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry of Bezmialem Vakıf University, and periodontitis was diagnosed and classified with the data obtained. Age at diagnosis of acromegaly, disease duration, last measured GH and IGF-1 values, and acromegaly treatments of the patients in the acromegaly group were recorded. Results: When the number of filled teeth was compared in the 2 groups, it was found to be statistically significant, being higher in the healthy control group. Although the number of missing and decayed teeth was higher in the acromegaly group, it was not statistically significant when compared. In the acromegaly group, 35 patients (100%) were diagnosed with periodontitis. In the healthy control group, 19 people were diagnosed with periodontitis. The presence of healthy gingiva, gingivitis and periodontitis was found to be statistically significant when the two groups were compared (P: <0.01). A positive statistically significant relationship was found between the stage of periodontitis and the duration of the disease (p<0.01) and the degree of periodontitis (p<0.01). Conclusion: The high frequency of periodontitis in the acromegaly group is that circulating IGF-1 and GH are factors that facilitate inflammation with their anabolic effect on the periodontal tissue, and the disease paves the way for the formation of periodontitis with the cumulative effect of the disease for many years. With the increase in dentists' knowledge of oral and dental findings in acromegaly, the time to diagnosis may be shortened. Early detection of dental pathologies can be achieved by directing patients with acromegaly to dental examination. Keywords: acromegaly, periodontitis, dental and periodental diseases