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Coronary heart disease and periodontitis -- a case control study in Chilean adults
Rodrigo López1, Marcela Oyarzún, Claudia Naranjo
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark. rlopez@odont.au.dk
Insights
Periodontal disease, indicated by deeper pockets and attachment loss, is linked to coronary ischemic disease in Chilean adults. These findings highlight the importance of managing gum health for cardiovascular well-being.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology and Periodontology
- Public Health Research
Background:
- Coronary ischemic disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality globally.
- Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the gums and supporting structures of teeth.
- Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between oral health and systemic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between periodontal disease parameters and coronary ischemic disease (CHD) in a Chilean population aged 30-50.
- To assess if specific periodontal metrics correlate with the incidence of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or angina pectoris.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted with 61 participants (30-50 years old) from Santiago, Chile.
- Cases were patients hospitalized for acute coronary events, while controls had non-cardiac surgery.
- Periodontal examinations included assessing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and number of teeth present, analyzed using conditional logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Increased mean attachment level showed a positive association with case status (OR = 3.17).
- Greater mean pocket probing depth was significantly associated with case status (OR = 8.64).
- The number of teeth present was not significantly associated with coronary ischemic disease.
Conclusions:
- The study found significant associations between periodontal disease parameters (pocket depth, attachment level) and coronary ischemic disease.
- These findings support previous reports suggesting a link between gum disease and heart conditions.
- The results underscore the public health importance of managing periodontal disease, whether causal or indicative of shared risk factors.
Objectives:
To investigate the association between periodontal disease parameters and coronary ischemic disease among 30-50-year-old Chileans.
Material And Methods:
Cases were 30-50-year-olds who were hospitalized in one of four Cardiologic Units in Santiago, Chile, for acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina or angina pectoris. Controls had undergone surgery due to gall bladder stones or abdominal hernia. Information on blood pressure, serum cholesterol, body weight and height, age, occupation, smoking, diabetes and use of antidepressants was obtained. A total of 86 persons participated based on informed consent, but the analysis is based on 61 persons, for whom a complete set of data was obtained. Cases and controls were given a clinical periodontal examination comprising assessment of number of teeth present, periodontal pocket depth and clinical attachment level at six sites per tooth. The association between mean attachment level; mean pocket probing depth; number of teeth present and case status was analyzed by conditional logistic regression controlling for known risk factors for CHD.
Results:
The mean attachment level was positively associated with case status (OR = 3.17; 95% CI = [1.31; 7.65]), as was the mean pocket depth (OR = 8.64; 95% CI = [1.22; 61.20]). The number of teeth present was not statistically significantly associated with case status (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = [0.83; 1.04]).
Conclusion:
The results are in accordance with those of several previous reports. If the results reflect a causal link between periodontal diseases and CHD they emphasize the need for better control of periodontal diseases. If the associations are-non-causal, they still demonstrate that CHD and periodontal diseases cluster in the same sections of the population, which is important from a public health point of view.