Periodontal infections and atherosclerotic vascular disease: an update

Abstract

The role of periodontal infections as a putative risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) has been reported in the literature over the past decade. This review provides insights into biologically plausible pathways that can potentially mediate such an association, and discusses recent findings from epidemiological studies and intervention trials. Accumulating epidemiological evidence suggests that clinical, microbiological and serological markers of periodontal infection are associated with subclinical and manifest ASVD. Early evidence from intervention studies suggests that the control of periodontal infections may result in improved levels of markers of systemic inflammation and measures of endothelial dysfunction. The extent to which the control of periodontal infections results in lower incidence of ASVD events is logistically difficult to assess and has not been addressed in any study so far.