Effects of Medical Conditions on Oral Health

A key part of Absolute's safe dental practice is knowing and understanding  the medical conditions patients will present with, and how these conditions and their medical management may impact on proposed dental treatment. 

 

We know that there are links between plaque bacteria and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, low birthweight babies and kidney disease and this list is not exhaustive. One of the most important aspects of your dental care are not just the conditions themselves but the medication you take for them. This is one of the reasons we ask you to help us keep up to date with any conditions or changes in medication as this could play a significant part in your oral health.

 

These following drugs are among the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs in 2013. Do you recognise any that you are taking? Were you aware of these side effects?

 

1. Simvastatin and Atorvastatin

These are prescribed to reduce serum cholesterol and this reflects the fact that many patients through diet and lack of exercise  are at risk of atheroma and narrowing of the arteries can occur. These drugs can react with some anti fungals and complications of the need for statins can manifest as stroke, thrombosis or angina and even myocardial infarction.  The team at Absolute take part in  regular extensive training to familiarise ourselves with the most up to date procedures to keep you safe whilst in our care.

 

2. Levothyroxine

This is given as a replacement for those patients  who either have an underactive thyroid or who have had  a gland removed because of its over-activity. Much of thyroid disease is autoimmune and autoimmune diseases can manifest themselves in multiple sites in a patient e.g rheumatoid arthritis and sjogrens syndrome. This is hugely important to us as Sjogrens syndrome will mean that the patient has a dry mouth and the role of saliva is crucial including  neutralising plaque and food acids, controlling the growth of plaque, lubricating the mouth and helping us swallow. 

 

3. Amlodipine

This is a calcium channel blocker and used to treat hypertension. Its side effects can manifest as an overgrowth of gum tissue which can be particularly fibrous or tough and can make cleaning very challenging and also very  difficult for some dental treatment to be carried out. 

 

4.Citalopram and Amitryptyline

These are both antidepressant drugs but are also used in the management of chronic pain such as bone and joint pain and some facial pain such as trigeminal neuralgia. The principal relationship to dental disease is the reduction in saliva similar to the effects of Levothyroxine but with added complications  of difficulty in cleaning  due to pain. 

 

5. Warfarin

This is an anticoagulant drug which has been around for  many years and it is used on patients who may have had a stroke, Myocardial Infarction, deep vein thrombosis or may have head a heart valve replacement.. The anticoagulant effect of Warfarin is measured using the international normalised ratio or INR. For simple dental procedures  the current guidelines state that this must be 4 or less. It helps us if you can bring your yellow card with your reading on it to your appointment so that we can update our records and keep you safe. 

 

Please tell our Absolute team if there have been any changes to your general health so we can help your oral health.