Amount and type of alcohol and periodontitis in the Copenhagen City Heart Study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to study the association between alcohol consumption and periodontitis assessed as clinical attachment loss (CAL) and bleeding on probing (BOP) in a cross-sectional design.

Material and methods: The study included 1,521 adults aged 20-95 years, who underwent an oral examination including full-mouth registration of CAL and BOP. Alcohol was ascertained using a food-frequency questionnaire. The association between total and type-specific alcohol and periodontitis was assessed by means of multivariate logistic regression.

Results: A lower odds ratio (OR) for CAL (defined as mean >or=3 mm) was observed in men consuming 21-34 [OR=0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.95] and 35+ drinks/week (OR=0.34, 95% CI, 0.15-0.79) compared with men drinking 1-13 drinks/week. Also, men with a weekly wine consumption of more than 14 drinks compared with men who reported no wine intake had lower OR for CAL (OR=0.24; 95% CI, 0.09-0.62). A higher OR for BOP (defined as >or=25%) among male abstainers was observed (OR=1.79, 95% CI, 1.03-3.12) compared with men in the light-drinking group (1-13 drinks/week). No significant association was observed for either CAL or BOP in women.

Conclusions: The results indicate that higher alcohol consumption, particularly intake of wine, is inversely associated with CAL in men. Such an association is not found in women.