periodontitis in CAD

 Q: Radiographic bone loss in chronic periodontitis can be used as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) in? (select one) 

A) Younger patients 

B) Older patients

Answer: A

Radiologic bone loss in chronic periodontitis among men less than age 60 is found to carry a remarkable risk of coronary heart disease (CAD) with a hazard ratio (HR)  of 2.12, with a P-value for trend=0.02. This is from a large study comprising more than 1200 patients span over 24 years. Ths HR was adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, education, marital status, income, and occupation. Interestingly, this correlation was lost in men above 60 years of age. 

Loss of teeth at age less than 60 years of age also carried an HR of 1.61 for CAD, independent of confounders described above.

#cardiology

#dental-health

References:

1. Dietrich T, Jimenez M, Krall Kaye EA, et al. Age-dependent associations between chronic periodontitis/edentulism and risk of coronary heart disease. Circulation 2008; 117:1668. 

2. Scannapieco FA, Bush RB, Paju S. Associations between periodontal disease and risk for atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. A systematic review. Ann Periodontol 2003; 8:38. 

3. Hung HC, Joshipura KJ, Colditz G, et al. The association between tooth loss and coronary heart disease in men and women. J Public Health Dent 2004; 64:209. 

4. Friedewald VE, Kornman KS, Beck JD, et al. The American Journal of Cardiology and Journal of Periodontology Editors' Consensus: periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Am J Cardiol 2009; 104:59.