Undiagnosed Celiac Disease and Periodontal Bone Loss: A Cross-Sectional Radiological Assessment from the HUNT Study

The objective was to assess radiographic periodontal bone loss in a population with previously undiagnosed celiac disease, and to compare it to a reference group without celiac disease.

Periodontitis and celiac disease are chronic inflammatory diseases with possible similar features related to immune reactions and microbial dysbiosis. The relationship between these two diseases is not clear.

Clinical variables, blood samples, and answers to questionnaires were collected from participants in the fourth Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4). Celiac disease was determined based on transglutaminase 2 (TG2), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and G (IgG) in serum samples. Seropositive individuals were invited to endoscopic examination and tissue sampling. Radiographically assessed bone loss caused by periodontitis in two different levels of severity was applied as outcome, that is, ≥15% and >33% of root length. Bone loss was determined in panoramic images in participants that had attended radiographic examination in the HUNT4 Oral Health Study or in the HUNT4 Coeliac Disease Study. The association between previously undiagnosed celiac disease and radiographic bone loss was estimated by adjusted Poisson regression models.

Radiographic assessment was completed in 485 individuals with celiac disease determined by positive serology and in 4,727 individuals with negative serology (without celiac disease). Compared to nonceliacs, seropositive participants were less likely to present with ≥15% radiographic bone loss (prevalence ratio (PR) 0.89 (95% CI 0.84-0.96). A similar association was also observed after histopathological confirmation of celiac disease (PR 0.89 (95% CI 0.82-0.98). No association between undiagnosed celiac disease and periodontal bone loss was observed when analyses were limited to individuals with severe bone loss (>33%).

In this study of previously undiagnosed celiac disease and periodontal bone loss, newly diagnosed celiac disease was associated with less likelihood of presenting with ≥15% radiographic bone loss compared to a nonceliac reference group.