Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep 29;71(2):160-166.
doi: 10.1111/idj.12618. Online ahead of print.

Assessment of carotid artery calcifications on digital panoramic radiographs and their relationship with periodontal condition and cardiovascular risk factors

Mehtap Bilgin Çetin  1 , Yasemin Sezgin  1 , Mediha Nur Nisancı Yilmaz  1 , Cansu Köseoğlu Seçgin  2
Affiliations

Assessment of carotid artery calcifications on digital panoramic radiographs and their relationship with periodontal condition and cardiovascular risk factors

Mehtap Bilgin Çetin et al. Int Dent J. .

Abstract

Objective: The main purpose of this study is to determine the presence of carotid artery calcification (CAC) detected on digital panoramic radiographs (DPRs) retrospectively and correlate the findings with cardiovascular risk factors including gender, age, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, along with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and periodontal status.

Methods: This clinical study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT04017078. DPRs, periodontal status and cardiovascular risk factors of 1,101 patients (576 males, 525 females) were evaluated. The patients were grouped based on whether CAC was detected in dental DPRs [CAC (+)] or not [CAC (-)]. Periodontal status was categorised as gingivitis, periodontitis, and gingivitis with reduced periodontium (periodontally stable patient).

Results: Out of 1,101 patients, whose mean age was 42.1 ± 15.5 years and 525 (47.7%) were female, 34 (3.1%) were diagnosed with CAC on DPRs. No significant difference was observed between groups considering gender, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, and periodontal status. Patients aged 40-55 years (n = 398, 36.15%) and patients older than 55 years (n = 222, 20.16%) were associated with CAC (odds ratio = 4.49, 95% confidence interval = 1.65-12.17, P = 0.003; odds ratio = 4.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.33-14.61, P = 0.015, respectively).

Conclusion: Among all parameters, only age exhibited significant correlation with an increased risk of carotid calcification. Further studies with prospective designs and larger study populations are needed.

Keywords: Carotid calcification; panoramic radiography; periodontal disease; periodontitis; systemic diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Image of a digital panoramic radiograph (DPR) showing a unilateral radiopacity of suspected carotid calcification on the left side (arrow).
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Image of a digital panoramic radiograph (DPR) showing a unilateral radiopacity of suspected carotid calcification on the right side (arrow).
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Flow-chart of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • About Assessment of Carotid Artery Calcifications on Radiographs.
    Antonello PR, Gamba TO, da Silveira HLD. Antonello PR, et al. Int Dent J. 2022 Apr;72(2):257. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2021.09.002. Epub 2021 Oct 30. Int Dent J. 2022. PMID: 34756736 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Letter to the Editor: Authors' Response.
    Cetin MB, Sezgin Y, Yılmaz MNN, Seçgin CK. Cetin MB, et al. Int Dent J. 2022 Apr;72(2):258-259. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2021.12.005. Epub 2022 Feb 4. Int Dent J. 2022. PMID: 35131087 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

    1. Herrington W, Lacey B, Sherliker P, et al. Epidemiology of atherosclerosis and the potential to reduce the global burden of atherothrombotic disease. Circ Res. 2016;118:535–546. - PubMed
    1. Mathers CD, Loncar D. Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS Med. 2006;3:e442. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramesh A, Soroushian S, Ganguly R. Coincidence of calcified carotid atheromatous plaque, osteoporosis, and periodontal bone loss in dental panoramic radiographs. Imaging Sci Dent. 2013;43:235–243. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zeng XT, Leng WD, Lam YY, et al. Periodontal disease and carotid atherosclerosis: a meta-analysis of 17,330 participants. Int J Clin Cardiol. 2016;203:1044–1051. - PubMed
    1. Bengtsson VW, Persson GR, Berglund J, et al. Carotid calcifications in panoramic radiographs are associated with future stroke or ischemic heart diseases: a long-term follow-up study. Clin Oral Investig. 2019;23:1171–1179. - PubMed

Associated data