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Is there a link between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease?
1Dental School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Objective:
To provide a critical review of the studies completed to date that have investigated a link between coronary heart disease and dental health.
Design:
Retrospective analysis.
Setting:
Mainly hospital-based patients or subjects involved in longitudinal health care studies.
Main Outcome Measures:
The incidence of coronary heart disease and its relationship to dental health and other recognised risk factors.
Results:
Evidence suggests that dental health, in particular periodontal disease, may be a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease and further coronary events. Possible biological mechanisms that link the two diseases are appraised.
Conclusions:
There does appear to be increasing evidence that a relationship exists between dental health and coronary heart disease, especially in males aged 40-50 years. The presence of a hyperinflammatory monocyte phenotype may provide a common biological mechanism that links the two diseases.