Association between brominated flame retardants and periodontitis: a large-scale population-based study

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Periodontology

Background:

• The relationship between brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and periodontitis is not well understood.
• BFRs are widely used chemicals with potential health implications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between exposure to BFRs and the prevalence of periodontitis in adults.
• To explore potential dose-response and nonlinear relationships.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 2,445 adult participants in NHANES cycles 2009-2014.
• Utilized survey-weighted generalized linear regressions, restricted cubic splines (RCSs), and quantile weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression.
• Assessed associations between serum BFR levels and periodontitis prevalence.

Main Results:

• Several BFR components, including PBDE28, PBDE47, PBDE85, PBDE99, PBDE100, PBDE154, and PBB153, were positively correlated with periodontitis.
• Increased odds of periodontitis were observed with higher quartiles of PBDE28, PBDE85, PBDE100, PBDE154, and PBB153.
• WQS and QGC analyses confirmed a significant positive association between overall BFR exposure and periodontitis prevalence.

Conclusions:

• Overall exposure to BFRs is positively associated with the prevalence of periodontitis.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the causal links and biological mechanisms involved.