The relationship between oral health and irritable bowel syndrome in women referring to hospital

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders with an unknown etiology. This study aimed to determine the relationship between IBS and oral health status such as the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and related behaviors such as recorded tooth brushing and flossing. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 240 volunteers who referred to Arvand Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran, and were screened for Manning and Rome criteria as well as IBS were selected. Finally, 130 patients and 110 controls were included in the study. The demographic information questionnaire, DMFT index, and OHI-S were recorded by the researchers. The logistic regression model was used to predict the oral health factors affecting IBS as a multivariate odds ratio (OR) using SPSS software. Statistical significance level was considered at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The descriptive results showed that the mean age of the participants was 28.45 +/- 5.40 years and their mean marriage age was 23.70 +/- 3.30 years. Irregular brushing, smoking, and history of recurrent oral aphthous or ulcers were found to be related to IBS, and brushing 2-3 times a day had a protective effect. Further, there was a significant relationship between DMFT index [Filled Teeth (FT): OR = 3.40, P = 0.030; Missing Teeth (MT): OR = 2.70, P = 0.029; Decayed Teeth (DT): OR = 3.42, P = 0.001] and IBS. Moreover, the results of OHI-S showed that IBS was associated with poor oral health [OR = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.04-2.60, P = 0.013]. CONCLUSION: Although, based on the data, it is not clear which disease was happened first, the poor oral health or IBS, patients with IBS need special attention with respect to oral health and its related behaviors.