Teeth loss and the inflammation of teeth-supporting tissues in rheumatoid disease.

To compare the state of dentition between rheumatoid and control patients, ortopanthomograms were taken of 126 rheumatoid and 119 control patients. This roenthenologic examination revealed a signficantly higher incidence of teeth loss among the rheumatoid patients than among the control patients. To determine whether the dental periapical lesions of patients with rheumatoid disease differ histologically from corresponding lesions in control patients, the dental periapical lesions of 43 rheumatoid and 23 control patients were examined with a routine histochemical technique. No differences were detected however between these two patient groups either as regards the histologic features of their periapical lesions or as regards the incidence of these lesions, whether granulomas or radicular cysts. Furthermore, examination of the gingival tissues from 21 rheumatoid patients did not either reveal any distinguishing histologic feature. Amyloid was sought in the teeth-supporting tissues of both rheumatoid and control groups with techniques involving light, polarization and fluorescence microscopy. In neither group was amyloid detected with certainty with any of these techniques. The higher incidence of teeth loss among rheumatoid patients invited further investigation into the relationship between dental health and rheumatoid disease.