Periodontal status in oral mucous membrane pemphigoid: initial results of a case-control study

Objective: To evaluate the periodontal status of mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) patients and compare it with that of healthy controls. Methods: A prospective study was undertaken to examine the impact of gingival MMP lesions on the human periodontium of 29 patients. Parameters evaluated included full mouth plaque score (FMPS), full mouth bleeding upon probing scores, probing depths (PD), gingival recession, clinical attachment level (CAL), mobility score, furcation involvement, number of missing teeth and Machtei criteria. Results: All periodontal parameters recorded were increased in cases when compared to controls in univariate statistics. The mean differences between groups in PD (0.8 +/- 0.2 mm, 95% CI 0.3-1.3), CAL (1.3 +/- 0.4 mm, 95% CI 0.4-2.2), FMPS (41.0 +/- 6.2%, 95% CI 28.7-53.4), FMBS (16.2 +/- 6.6%, 95% CI 3.0-29.4) and tooth loss (2 +/- 1 teeth, 95% CI 1-3) were all statistically significant (P < 0.01 for all). Substantial differences in domiciliary oral hygiene routines were observed (P < 0.0001). In multivariate models when FMPS was included as covariate the difference between groups in all clinical periodontal parameters was no longer statistically significant. Conclusions: Our results showed that periodontal status is worse in MMP patients if compared with healthy controls due to a substantial difference in oral hygiene. Oral health should be promoted in MMP.