Relationship between metabolic syndrome and periodontal disease in Japanese adults

Metabolic syndrome is becoming a common disorder worldwide. Studies have shown a relationship between metabolic syndrome and periodontal disease, although information on the relationship is limited.

We analyzed 1,070 Japanese people aged 40, 50, 60, and 70 years who participated in health and periodontal examinations in Miyazaki City, Japan. We examined the relationship between each component and the number of positive components of metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, and high plasma glucose) and periodontal status assessed using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI).

Of the five components of metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol level were each significantly associated with having a high CPI code (code 4). The subjects with three components and those with four or five components of metabolic syndrome had a significantly higher prevalence of a high CPI code compared to those having no components after adjusting for confounding variables; the odds ratios were 2.13 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22 to 3.70) and 2.34 (95% CI: 1.08 to 5.08), respectively.

This study supports the suspected but unproved relationship between metabolic syndrome and periodontal disease.