Periodontal treatment: potential to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and/or mortality

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the major reasons of morbidity and mortality globally. They are some multifactorial diseases and most of which may be primarily associated with atherosclerotic lesions. Periodontal disease is an infection of tooth-supporting tissues, which is highly prevalent in populations. Continuing studies have revealed that periodontal disease is another important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The host-mediated inflammatory response to periodontal pathogens and their components, release of matrix metalloproteinases, alteration in lipoprotein metabolism and poor dietary habits may contribute to the atheroma pathogenesis in patients with periodontal disease. Based on these data, we hypothesized that periodontal treatment, along with the primary and secondary prevention of traditional risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (smoking, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, obesity and lack of exercise), might reduce morbidity and/or mortality of cardiovascular diseases. Evidences from recent studies have supported our hypotheses partly. Further well-designed, double blinded, randomized and controlled clinical trials with larger sample size in this area are still needed.