Dentistry

Abstract

Oral And Facial Manifestations Of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Lassemi E, Sahraian MA, Motamedi MHK, Valayi N, Moradi N and Lasemi R

Aim: With regard to the prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis and the importance of early diagnosis, we aimed to assess the prevalence of oral and facial manifestations in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 400 MS patients for oral and facial manifestations. Trigeminal neuralgia, dysarthria, dysphagia, TMD, facial palsy and visual symptoms were documented. Occurrence of each manifestation was determined, its confidence interval was evaluated within a probability of 95%, and the role of the related factors in this prevalence was analyzed with the Chi-square test.
Results: This study of 400 patients with MS revealed that 89.2% demonstrated oral and facial symptoms. The most frequent manifestations were visual symptoms (79.5%), dysarthria (44.3%), dysphagia (21%), facial palsy (15.3%), temporomandibular disorder (14.3%) and trigeminal neuralgia (13.3%). The related factors (individual and familial) showed no significant relation to the incidence of these manifestations.
Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of oral and facial manifestations in MS patients and therefore the dentist may be the first to diagnose this.