Phosphate and Vitamin D Prevent Periodontitis in X-Linked Hypophosphatemia

Abstract

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare genetic skeletal disease where increased phosphate wasting in the kidney leads to hypophosphatemia and prevents normal mineralization of bone and dentin. Here, we examined the periodontal status of 34 adults with XLH and separated them according to the treatment they received for hypophosphatemia. We observed that periodontitis frequency and severity were increased in adults with XLH and that the severity varied according to the hypophosphatemia treatment. Patients who benefited from an early and continuous vitamin D and phosphate supplementation during their childhood presented less periodontal attachment loss than patients with late or incomplete supplementation. Continued hypophosphatemia treatment during adulthood further improved the periodontal health. Extracted teeth from patients with late or incomplete supplementation showed a strong acellular cementum hypoplasia when compared with age-matched healthy controls. These results show that XLH disturbs not only bone and dentin formation but also cementum and that the constitutional defect of the attachment apparatus is associated with attachment loss.

Keywords: alveolar bone loss; dental cementum; hypophosphatemic rickets; osteomalacia; periodontal attachment loss; periodontal disease.