Table 2.
Oral health-related responses of Aromatase Inhibitor (AI) users and controls at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months
| Oral health-related responses1 | AI use | Baseline | 6 months | 12 months | 18 months | P(Tx)/P(Time) P(Tx xTime) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How would you describe the health of your teeth?2 | No | 3.70 | 3.55 | 3.79 | 3.79 |
.043/.125 .884 |
| Yes | 3.15 | 3.17 | 3.35 | 3.43 | ||
| How would you describe the health of your gums?2 | No | 3.34 | 3.55 | 3.45 | 3.75 | .209/.167 .144 |
| Yes | 2.98 | 3.17 | 3.35 | 3.30 | ||
| How important is your dental health to you?3 | No | 4.97 | 4.97 | 5.00 | 5.00 | .449/.117 .056 |
| Yes | 4.73 | 4.83 | 4.83 | 4.47 | ||
| How much saliva do you have?4 | No | 4.34 | 4.21 | 4.10 | 4.21 | .062/.468 .816 |
| Yes | 3.96 | 3.52 | 3.74 | 3.52 | ||
| Ml of unstimulated saliva per 15 minutes 5,6 | No | 2.25 (0.5–3.5) |
n/a | 2.50 (0.5–6.0) |
3.00 (0.5–7.0) |
.001/.315 .049 |
| Yes | 1.75 (0.5–3.0) |
n/a | 2.00 (0.5–3.0) |
2.00 (0.0–4.0) |
||
| Did you ever have these problems?7 | AI use | % Yes | % Yes | % Yes | % Yes |
P(TX) P(Time) |
| Do you think you might have gum disease (swollen gums, receding gums, infected gums or loose teeth)? | No | 21% | 14%* | 14% | 10.%* | <.001 .712 |
| Yes | 38% | 38% | 28% | 38% | ||
| Have you noticed bleeding from your gums during tooth brushing in the last month? | No | 28% | 17% | 21% | 28% | .08 .721 |
| Yes | 10% | 17% | 12% | 21% | ||
| Have you noticed gingival swelling? Did tissues look puffy in the last month? | No | 14% | 7% | 7% | 3% | .426 .733 |
| Yes | 10% | 7% | 8% | 13% | ||
| Have you ever had any teeth become loose on their own, without an injury? | No | 3% | 3%* | 3% | 3% | <.001 .708 |
| Yes | 21% | 24% | 12% | 17% | ||
| Have you ever had treatment for gum disease, such as scaling and root planing, also called “deep” cleaning? | No | 21% | 21% | 21% | 17%* | .041 .547 |
| Yes | 17% | 28% | 36% | 46% | ||
| Can you see more of the roots of your teeth than in past? | No | 31% | 17% | 10% | 17% | .04 .693 |
| Yes | 24% | 31% | 28% | 38% | ||
| Have you ever been told by a dental professional that you lost bone around your teeth? | No | 14% | 10%** | 10%* | 7%*** | <.001 .996 |
| Yes | 36% | 41% | 40% | 46% | ||
| During the past 3 months, have you noticed a tooth that doesn’t look right? | No | 3% | 3% | 0% | 7% | .150 .079 |
| Yes | 17% | 3% | 0% | 8% | ||
| Within the last month have you had sore areas on your gums that have lasted more than a week? | No | 3% | 0% | 0% | 1% | .038 .523 |
| Yes | 7% | 7% | 1% | 3% | ||
| Within the last month have you had painful tingling in your gums or tongue? | No | 0% | 1% | 1% | 0% | .067 .966 |
| Yes | 10% | 1% | 1% | 2% | ||
| Do you have any teeth that are sensitive to hot, cold or sweets? | No | 21%* | 4%* | 17% | 10%** | <.001 .270 |
| Yes | 52% | 11% | 32% | 42% |
Legend: Asterisk/s in cell indicate/s significant differences between women using AIs vs. control at each point in time
= p < .05;
= p < .01;
= p < .001
The average responses to these questions were compared with repeated measurement analyses of variance.
Answers ranged from 1=Poor, 2=Fair, 3= Good, 4=Very good, to 5=Excellent.
Answers ranged from 1 = Not at all to 5 = very important.
Answers ranged from 1 = Very little saliva” to 5 = Perfect amount of saliva.
Saliva volume was determined by collecting unstimulated saliva for up to 15 minutes at baseline, 12 and 18 months.
Saliva volume reported as median and range.
Answers were 1= “Yes” and 2 = “No”. Chi-square tests were used to compare the responses of women with BCa treated with AI vs. controls at the four assessments.