Diet compliance, serology and dental caries in children with celiac disease

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy. The first recognizable symptom in children may also be dental manifestation rather than the typical gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods: The study included 82 children with CD at the age of 6–16 years. Decay-missing-filled in teeth (dmft/DMFT) indexes of the patients were recorded. The serology level, calcium, Phosphorus and vitamin D status of the patients at the time of diagnosis were obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The mean age for CD participants was 8.1 ± 3.2 years at the time of diagnosis. Decay and dmft/DMFT values of patients who did not comply with the diet were statistically higher than those who complied (7.36 ± 3.21 vs. 4.89 ± 2.34, p < 0.001 and 8.06 ± 2.83 vs. 5.78 ± 2.39, p < 0.001). dmft/DMFT values were statistically higher in patients with low calcium and Phosphorus levels (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001). Decay was higher in patients with low vitamin D levels compared to patients with high levels (p = 0.046). The dmft/DMFT value with a tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTGA) level of >200 U/mL (>10 × Upper Limits of Normal (ULN)) is statistically higher than the patients with a tTGA value of 100–139 U/mL (5–7 × ULN) (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Dental findings are more common in patients with CD who have low serum calcium, Phosphorus and vitamin D. Dentists and pediatricians should be aware of higher risks of dental caries among patients with CD with higher tTGA levels and in pediatric patients with CD who have diet incompatibility.

Celiac disease; Serology; DMFT; Caries

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