Association between periodontitis and blood lipid levels in a Korean population

Hyperlipidemia is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A common biologic mechanism between systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, and periodontal diseases has been suggested. The aim of this study is to examine the association between blood lipid profile and periodontitis.

The study included 6,905 Korean adults, aged ≥ 20 years. Individuals with incomplete data on blood lipid levels, those who lacked results of periodontitis examination using the Community Periodontal Index system in the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2010 and 2012 and those diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were excluded from the study. All analyses involved complex sampling design. The association was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates.

Women with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels showed a significantly higher risk of periodontitis (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.65 [1.03 to 2.66] for the lowest group) than those with high HDL levels. Women with high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels showed a higher risk of the disease (OR [95% CI]: 2.38 [1.01 to 5.60] for the highest group) than those with low LDL levels. There were significant dose-response relationships between disease risk and levels of HDL and LDL (P trend of 0.001 and 0.04, respectively). There was no significant difference in the risk between pre- and postmenopausal women. Men did not show any significant association between blood lipid levels and periodontitis.

There was a significant association between periodontitis and low HDL and high LDL cholesterol levels in women. J Periodontol 2018;89:000-000.