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A13655 The association of Hypertension, Tobacco and Oral Health: A Mixed-Methods study

Objectives: Hypertension (HP) is one of the fastest growing public health problems in India, requiring continuous care and meticulous self-management, including oral hygiene. HP is a well-documented risk factor for gingivitis, tooth loss, mouth dryness and taste impairment. Tobacco use too, is an established risk factor for HP. The risk of developing HP increases with tobacco use. Existing literature supports the relationship of these individual entities, but oral manifestations of hypertensives (HPs) with tobacco usage is unknown. Aim: To assess the clinical coexistence of tobacco use and oral health status among HPs and comparison with control group Methods: This cross-sectional, multi-centric (3 urban health centers) hospital based survey was systematized to include 4 study groups: Tobacco users with & without HP and Non-users with & without HP. Consenting participants with history of raised BP (>140 Systolic BP and > 90 Diastolic BP) aged > 18 years were included. Apart from socio-demographic information and tobacco usage, subjects underwent a Type III clinical oral examination using modified WHO Oral Health Assessment Form 2013. SPSS v23.0 was used for analysis Results: Total sample size was 500 (at least 120/group). Male-Female ratio was 3.4:1 (p = 0.341). No significant difference was noted among religion, socio-economic status and marital status. Mean systolic BP [151.2 + 8.3 (tobacco users); 142.8 + 6.9 (non-users) (p = 0.031*)] Diastolic BP [97.1 + 8.8 (tobacco users); 93.8 + 5.9 (non-users) (p = 0.044*)]. Gingival Index scores and Periodontal Index scores were significantly higher among Tobacco users with HP. Oral Hygiene scores were similar among study groups Conclusion: Study enumerates the exponential oral health morbidity when tobacco usage is combined with HP, indicating a causal relationship among them