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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
Induction of Periodontitis via a Combination of Ligature and Lipopolysaccharide Injection in a Rat Model
Published on: February 17, 2023
Periodontitis and retinal microcirculation in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study
Adrien Boillot1, Philippe Bouchard, Kevin Moss
1Department of Periodontology, Rothschild Hospital (AP-HP), UFR of Odontology, University of Paris Diderot, Paris, France; INSERM UMS 011, Population-Based Cohort Platform, Villejuif, France.
Aim:
The aim of this cross-sectional study is to explore if periodontitis is associated with alterations of the retinal microcirculation, a predictive marker of cardiovascular events.
Material And Methods:
Of 457 subjects aged 52 years and more from the ARIC cohort were included. Retinal vascular diameters were measured and summarized as central retinal arteriolar/venular equivalents (CRAE/CRVE). Periodontitis was determined by using the CDC/AAP definition. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the relationships between CRAE, CRVE and periodontitis.
Results:
No association was found between CRAE and periodontal status. However, CRVE and severe periodontitis were positively and significantly associated. Mean CRVE (±SD) was 187.0 ± 17.2 μm in the health-gingivitis group, and, respectively, 188.5 ± 16.3 μm (p = 0.39) and 191.6 ± 16.8 μm (p = 0.04) in moderate and severe periodontitis groups, after adjustment for a propensity score based on confounders. Results were consistent when analyses were restricted to participants with diabetes mellitus (n = 66), but not diabetes-free subjects.
Conclusions:
Severe periodontitis is associated with larger retinal venular diameter in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of diabetes mellitus on the association between periodontitis and retinal microcirculation.
