Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis (PD) have been suggested to share many clinical and pathological features. However, few reports have investigated the relationship between the degree of PD and the treatment response to RA. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the extent of PD and the treatment response to biologics in RA patients using FDG-PET/CT. Methods: Sixty RA patients (male, n = 14; female, n = 46; average age, 58.3 years) treated with biologic agents were included in this study. FDG-PET/CT was performed at baseline and 6 months after the initiation of biological therapy. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was used as a representative value for the assessment of the FDG uptake in periodontal tissue and joints including the bilateral shoulders, elbows, wrists, hip, knees, and ankle joints. The Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28-CRP and the following clinical parameters were assessed: C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA), rheumatoid factor (RF), and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3). The relationship between the treatment response of RA and the baseline SUVmax of the periodontal tissue was evaluated. Results: The baseline periodontal SUVmax was related to patient age (r = 0.302, p = 0.009) and the ACPA level (r = 0.265, p = 0.025). The DAS28-CRP, CRP, ESR, MMP-3, and joint SUVmax values were significantly decreased after 6 months of biological therapy. However, the mean periodontal SUVmax, ACPA, and RF showed no significant changes after treatment. There was a significantly negative correlation between the baseline periodontal SUVmax and the treatment response of DAS28-CRP (r = − 0.369, p = 0.004). Conclusion: There was a negative correlation between the extent of PD at baseline and the treatment response of RA patients who received biological therapy. The evaluation of the periodontal condition is considered to be an essential part for the management of RA.

The aim of this study was to assess the association between the shoulder tenderness and the inflammatory changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the rheumatoid shoulder. Forty-one shoulders of 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were examined. We evaluated synovitis, erosion and bone marrow edema, by counting the numbers of each positive site, and rotator cuff tears on shoulder MRI. The association between the shoulder tenderness and the MRI findings were statistically analyzed. Twenty-three of 41 patients had tenderness in the shoulder joints. There were 20 shoulders (48.8%) with rotator cuff tear, and no significant difference was observed in the prevalence of rotator cuff tear between the tenderness group and non-tenderness group (p = 0.080). There were no significant differences in the demographic data between these two groups. In MRI findings, we found significant difference for the synovitis (p = 0.001) and bone marrow edema (p = 0.021). Synovitis was strongly associated with the shoulder tenderness (OR: 3.996, 95% CI: 1.651–9.671). Synovitis was the factor most associated with shoulder tenderness.

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Objectives We aimed to predict the possibility of patients with stage I and II anti-resorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) developing resistance to our treatment protocol by evaluating their clinical and imaging factors. Materials and methods We enrolled 58 patients with ARONJ who underwent imaging modality. As objective variables, we considered the healing, stage-down, and stable stages as successful outcomes, and the stage-up stage as resistant-to-treatment. As explanatory variables, we investigated the clinical and imaging factors. Furthermore, we examined stage-down as an improvement outcome to compare with the stable and stage-up stages, which were considered as no-improvement outcomes. We conducted unpaired between-group comparisons on all explanatory variables using χ2 tests for independence. Results Among 58 patients, the treatment was successful in 53 (91.4%); however, the disease was resistant in five (8.6%). Among the clinical factors, the resistant patients had a longer duration of administration of bone-modifying agents (BMAs) (cut-off: 1251 days, p = 0.032, odds ratio = 11.2, 95% confidence interval 1.115–122.518). In addition, the target disease that was being treated bone metastasis of malignant tumor was the only significant refractory factor (p = 0.024, OR: 3.667 95% CI 1.159–11.603) Conclusions A combination of metabolic and morphological imaging modalities may be useful for oral surgeons to evaluate the disease activity and predict course of refractory ARONJ.