Published online Aug 21, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i31.4774
Peer-review started: June 20, 2023
First decision: July 10, 2023
Revised: July 19, 2023
Accepted: July 27, 2023
Article in press: July 27, 2023
Published online: August 21, 2023
Heartburn is identically the key symptom of both, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional heartburn (FHB), making the differential diagnosis resource-intensive. Oral manifestations of GERD can be easily examined; there
To evaluate the prevalence of dental erosions (DE) and periodontal diseases (PD) in patients with heartburn and their association with GERD and FHB.
A total of 116 [M/F: 51/65, mean age: 54 (17-80) years] consecutive patients with heartburn were enrolled for detailed esophageal function and orodental exami
Dental disorders were detected in 89% (103/116). Patients with PD + DE had significantly more often pathologic reflux (90.0% vs 27.8%; P < 0.05), higher esophagitis scores (1.8 vs 0.9; P < 0.05), and a significantly different mean im
The dental evaluation of patients with heartburn seems to be useful in the differential diagnosis of GERD and FHB. Among the studied parameters, the co-appearance of DE and PD seems to be the best predictor of GERD, whereas the absence of dental disorders was mostly observed in FHB.
Core Tip: Heartburn is identically the key symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional heartburn (FHB), making the differential diagnosis resource-intensive. Oral manifestations of GERD can be easily examined to differentiate GERD and FHB. A total of 116 consecutive patients with heartburn were enrolled to evaluate the prevalence of dental erosions (DE) and periodontal diseases (PD). The dental evaluation of patients with heartburn seems to be useful in the differential diagnosis of GERD and FHB. The co-appearance of DE and PD seems to be the best predictor of GERD, while the absence of dental disorders was mostly observed in FHB.