Comparing the Oral Manifestations of Patients with Hyperthyroidism Vs. Hypothyroidism in an Outpatient Clinic of Razi Hospital in Rasht, Iran

Introduction: Thyroid dysfunction is the second most common dysfunction in the endocrine system, which may affect the whole body, including the mouth. Dentists should be aware of the oral manifestations of these patients in order to prevent possible complications due to dental treatments. Comparing the oral manifestations of patients with hyperthyroidism versus hypothyroidism in an outpatient clinic of Razi Hospital in Rasht City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 121 patients with hypothyroidism and 55 patients with hyperthyroidism referred to the outpatient clinic of Razi Hospital in Rasht City under the supervision of an endocrinologist. The study patients' information was recorded in a questionnaire after oral examination. Results: The Mean±SD age of the patients in this study was 44.3±13.7 years.  About 47.1% of the patients with hypothyroidism and 21.8% of the patients with hyperthyroidism had scalloped tongue (P<0.0001). Macroglossia was seen in 43.8% of patients with hypothyroidism and 14.5% of the patients with hyperthyroidism (P<0.0001). About 5% of hypothyroid patients had oral lichen planus, while none of the hyperthyroid patients had oral lichen planus (P=0.101). Other oral lesions examined in this study such as fissured tongue, geographic tongue, mucosal pigmentation, lingual thyroid tissue, and xerostomia were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: In this study, the oral manifestations of thyroid dysfunction was observed, especially in the cases of hypothyroidism. Considering the possibility of manifestations such as lichen planus and xerostomia, dentists should know the clinical signs of these lesions in order to properly interact with the endocrinologist, accurately follow up these patients, and control their possible complications.