Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: There is a lack of studies in the literature evaluating the relationship between oral health, oral mucosal lesions, dental hygiene status, and disease prognosis in acromegaly patients. Our study aimed to assess oral mucosa in acromegaly patients, predict dental problems that may develop, correlate oral lesions and mucosal status with patients’ IGF-1 levels, investigate the relationship with the treatment method used, and evaluate the oral mucosal damage caused by concomitant and secondary chronic diseases accompanying acromegaly

Methods: The study includes acromegaly patients aged 18-65 and a control group of healthy volunteers with similar demographics. Data collection involves demographic information, clinical history, laboratory findings, and a 6-item questionnaire. Intraoral examinations are conducted by an experienced specialist using dental tools and probes.

Results: Results reveal no significant age difference between patients and the control group. TSH values are lower, while HbA1c and fasting glucose values are higher in patients. Tongue lesions are significantly more prevalent in patients. However, periodontal and plaque indices, as well as oral dryness scores, are similar between the groups. No correlation is found between disease duration, hormonal levels, and oral hygiene parameters.

Discussion: In our study, we found that oral mucosal lesions in acromegaly patients increased significantly compared to the control group. Especially, tongue lesions and the rate of having tongue lesions were observed to be higher. These results suggest that oral health status in acromegaly patients might reflect the disease’s specific nature. Additionally, an impact on glucose metabolism and potential increased diabetes risk in acromegaly patients was observed. However, these effects were not considered clinically significant. The findings highlight the importance of regularly monitoring oral health status in acromegaly patients.

Keywords: Acromegaly, Oral Mucosal Lesions, Dental Hygiene