Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare endocrinologic disease most commonly caused by an excess of growth hormone (GH) produced by a benign pituitary adenoma. Besides diverse systemic manifestations, acromegaly is also associated with a range of oral-dental problems. To date limited research has been conducted on how oral-dental pathologies affect the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with acromegaly and growth hormone-producing pituitary adenomas. To our knowledge this is the first study which compares the OHRQoL between acromegaly patients and those with non-functioning pituitary adenomas. The aim of this study is to improve understanding of acromegaly’s dental effects and the impact of OHRQoL and to enhance future treatment and patient outcomes.

Methods: 41 patients with diagnosis of growth hormone-producing pituitary adenomas and patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma were included in the study. All participants were asked to complete a german version of the oral health impact profile 14 questionnaire (OHIP-14). For included patients data from the clinical profile were collected. Comparative analysis of both groups were performed. Patients diagnosed with acromegaly and growth hormone-producing pituitary adenomas were additionally examined in regard of their oral-dental health condition by a speacialist and had to answer 3 additional questions referring to their oral-dental care by dentist. Based on the examination, a specialist medical diagnostic of the problem and, if necessary, appropriate treatment is offered.

Results: Mean age of the acromegalic patients was 55,95 years and 26 patients were females. The average OHIP-14 score for an acromegalic patient was 9,95 points. Female acromegalic patients present a higher OHIP-14 Score (12.15 points) than males (6.13 points). The questionnaire domains most affected were psychological discomfort (mean 2.05±2.27) and psychological disability (mean 2.05±2.07) and physical pain (mean 1.53±1.7). 89.7% of acromegalic patients are satisfied with dental care and 95% had no difficulty finding a dentist due to acromegaly. However, 77.4% of acromegaly patients have the impression that the dentist is not familiar with their disease.

Conclusion: the analyses of our data will take a crucial step forward in providing deeper insights into the impact of oral health conditions and associated comorbidities as well as OHRQoL in patients with acromegaly.