Tonsillectomy as a risk factor of periodontitis: A population-based cohort study

To determine whether patients who had undergone tonsillectomy would have higher risks of postoperative periodontitis.

Data were collected from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Dataset from 1999 to 2013, a population-based cohort study consisting of cases of newly-onset sleep apnoea, chronic diseases of tonsils and adenoids, peritonsillar abscess, and periodontal diseases. A total of 1482 tonsillectomy cases and 14,796 non-tonsillectomy controls were selected. Propensity score matching³⁷ between the tonsillectomy group and the non-tonsillectomy group was conducted to exclude the confounding effect resulting from indications of tonsillectomy. Cox proportional hazard model and subgroup analyses were conducted to identify subpopulations at risk of tonsillectomy-associated periodontitis, and a sub-outcome analysis was applied to identify the subtype of tonsillectomy-associated periodontitis.

A total of 648 patients who had undergone tonsillectomy and 648 out of 6509 propensity score-matched controls were retrieved, among which 230 cases in the tonsillectomy group were associated with post-surgical periodontitis (adjusted HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.59). The association persisted in a subpopulation of patients with periodontitis who received mechanical and surgical treatments for periodontitis (adjusted HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.63). The incidence of periodontitis was significantly high in the individuals who underwent tonsillectomy and was particularly high in those that were below 12 years of age (HR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.10 to 2.27). The risk of periodontitis increased 4 years after tonsillectomy (HR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.29 to 2.59). The majority of post-tonsillectomy periodontitis was aggressive and acute periodontitis (HR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.71).

Tonsillectomy performed in pediatric patients of < 12 years old, increased the risk of developing periodontitis. Aggressive and acute periodontitis as a long-term, postoperative adverse event took place at 4 years or longer after tonsillectomy.