Morphological structure and chemical composition of hard dental tissues in patients with Crohn's disease and chronic ulcerative colitis

We assessed macroelement and microelement composition and mineralization levels of dental hard tissues in adult patients with chronic nonspecific ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease and compared it with those in healthy individuals. We used electron microscopy and microprobe X-ray spectroscopy with a Topcon microscope ATB-55 (Japan) and energy-dispersion analyzer LINK 10000-S85 (United Kingdom). We found no significant differences in morphological changes of the dental hard tissues between patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and healthy controls. These changes corresponded to age characteristics and were presented by carious and non-carious dental disorders. Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases demonstrated significantly lower levels of enamel mineralization (especially in its surface layers (89.95%)) than controls (90.75%), which probably leads to higher prevalence of dental disorders in individuals suffering from gastrointestinal disease. To prevent the development and progression of both carious and non-carious lesions in dental hard tissues, we recommend special measures aimed at mineralization of dental hard tissues for patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Individual care should include the use of product with both anti-inflammatory and remineralization effects.