Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

This chapter describes the medical history, medications, dental history, social history, oral examination, and radiological examination of a 67-year-old male presents to the dental clinic complaining of ‘weak’ and ‘crumbling’ teeth. He feels that his teeth have been progressively breaking down over the last 5 years. His irregular medical reviews show that he was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The chapter also contains definition, aetiopathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, prognosis, and a world/transcultural view of COPD. The global prevalence of COPD is estimated at greater than 10%, affecting approximately 380million people, with 65million people worldwide diagnosed with moderate to severe COPD. Among different therapeutic modalities in COPD, the only 2 factors that improve survival are smoking cessation and oxygen supplementation.