Association between periodontal care and hospitalization with acute myocardial infarction

Each year there are 800,000 myocardial infarctions in the United States. There is an increased risk of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for those with periodontal disease. Yet, there is a paucity of knowledge about downstream care of AMI and how this varies with periodontal care status. The authors' aim was to examine the association between periodontal care and AMI hospitalization and 30 days after acute care.

Using the MarketScan database, the authors conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with both dental insurance and medical insurance in 2016 through 2018 who were hospitalized for AMI in 2017.

There were 2,370 patients who had dental and medical coverage for 2016 through 2018 and received oral health care in 2016 through 2017 and had an AMI hospitalization in 2017. Forty-seven percent received regular or other oral health care, 7% received active periodontal care, and 10% received controlled periodontal care. More than one-third of patients (36%) did not have oral health care before the AMI hospitalization. After adjusting for patient characteristics, we found that patients in the controlled periodontal care group were significantly more likely to have visits during the 30 days after AMI hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.47; P = .02).

We found that periodontal care was associated with more after AMI visits. This suggests that there is a benefit to incorporating oral health care and medical care to improve AMI outcomes.

Needing periodontal care is associated with more favorable outcomes related to AMI hospitalization. Early intervention to ensure stable periodontal health in patients with risk factors for AMI could reduce downstream hospital resource use.