Poor Response to Periodontal Treatment May Predict Future Cardiovascular Disease

Area of Science:

• Periodontology
• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Periodontal disease is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• The impact of periodontal treatment response on CVD risk is not well-established in large prospective studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the response to periodontal disease treatment influences the association with future cardiovascular disease incidence.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 5,297 individuals treated for periodontal disease.
• Periodontal status assessed at baseline and 1 year post-treatment.
• Cardiovascular disease incidence (myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure) tracked via national registers.
• Poisson regression analysis used to determine CVD risk among poor vs. good treatment responders.

Main Results:

• Individuals with a poor response to periodontal treatment (13.8%) had a significantly increased incidence of CVD compared to good responders.
• Adjusted incidence rate ratio for CVD among poor responders was 1.28 (95% CI, 1.07-1.53; P=0.007).
• The risk was even higher (IRR 1.39) for poor responders with the most remaining teeth.

Conclusions:

• Poor response to periodontal treatment is associated with an elevated risk of future cardiovascular disease.
• Effective periodontal treatment may play a role in mitigating the progression of subclinical CVD.