Association of Periodontitis Severity and Rheumatoid Arthritis Functional Disability: A Narrative Review

Numerous studies have demonstrated a relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis. In addition to the shared inflammatory pathways between both conditions, it has been proposed that the joint inflammation and deformity associated with RA causes inability of patients to perform good oral hygiene. This contributes to periodontal and other oral health issues. This review aims to identify common oral manifestations in RA as well as to evaluate the association between periodontitis severity and RA functional disability. A literature search was performed using Google Scholars, Mendeley, and accessible USM-subscribed databases including Springer Link, Science Direct, and Nature to identify related articles published from 1990 until 2021 using research interest and keywords combination. Thirty articles that fit in research interest and fulfilled the objectives were selected. We found that the most common oral manifestations in RA patients discovered in previous studies were increased severity of periodontitis, TMJ problems as well as oral dryness. Inconsistent results were found between the relationship of periodontitis severity and RA functional disability in most studies.