Periodontitis and hypertension are linked through systemic inflammation: A 5-year longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Oral Health and Cardiovascular Disease Research
• Inflammation and Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Background:

• Periodontitis, a severe gum infection, is increasingly linked to systemic health issues.
• Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• The role of systemic inflammation in connecting periodontitis and hypertension requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between periodontitis and hypertension.
• To examine the mediating role of systemic inflammation in this relationship.
• To analyze data from a 5-year longitudinal study.

Main Methods:

• Assessed periodontitis severity using probing depth (PD) and plaque scores.
• Analyzed associations between periodontal variables and 5-year blood pressure changes or incident hypertension using regression models.
• Performed mediation analysis using white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

Main Results:

• Greater PD and poor oral hygiene correlated with elevated systolic blood pressure and increased hypertension risk.
• Periodontitis and poor oral hygiene were linked to higher WBC and CRP levels.
• WBC and CRP jointly mediated 14.1%-26.9% of the association between periodontal variables and incident hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Periodontitis and poor oral hygiene are associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension.
• Systemic inflammation, indicated by WBC and CRP, partially mediates the link between poor oral health and hypertension.
• Maintaining oral hygiene may be important for cardiovascular health.