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. 2017 Jan;71(1):37-42.
doi: 10.1136/jech-2015-206745. Epub 2016 Aug 8.

Periodontitis is an independent risk indicator for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases among 60 174 participants in a large dental school in the Netherlands

Nicky G F M Beukers  1 , Geert J M G van der Heijden  2 , Arjen J van Wijk  2 , Bruno G Loos  1
Affiliations

Periodontitis is an independent risk indicator for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases among 60 174 participants in a large dental school in the Netherlands

Nicky G F M Beukers et al. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The association between periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ACVD) has been established in some modestly sized studies (<10 000). Rarely, however, periodontitis has been studied directly; often tooth loss or self-reported periodontitis has been used as a proxy measure for periodontitis. Our aim is to investigate the adjusted association between periodontitis and ACVD among all individuals registered in a large dental school in the Netherlands (Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA)).

Methods: Anonymised data were extracted from the electronic health records for all registered patients aged >35 years (period 1998-2013). A participant was recorded as having periodontitis based on diagnostic and treatment codes. Any affirmative answer for cerebrovascular accidents, angina pectoris and/or myocardial infarction labelled a participant as having ACVD. Other risk factors for ACVD, notably age, sex, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and social economic status, were also extracted. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the adjusted associations between periodontitis and ACVD.

Results: 60 174 individuals were identified; 4.7% of the periodontitis participants (455/9730) and 1.9% of the non-periodontitis participants (962/50 444) reported ACVD; periodontitis showed a significant association with ACVD (OR 2.52; 95% CI 2.3 to 2.8). After adjustment for the confounders, periodontitis remained independently associated with ACVD (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.39 to 1.81). With subsequent stratification for age and sex, periodontitis remained independently associated with ACVD.

Conclusions: This cross-sectional analysis of a large cohort in the Netherlands of 60 174 participants shows the independent association of periodontitis with ACVD.

Keywords: ARTHEROSCLEROSIS; BLOOD PRESSURE; Cardiovascular disease; Clinical epidemiology; ORAL HEALTH.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart for inclusion in analyses and distribution of dental participants with and without ACVD. ACTA, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam; ACVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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