Periodontitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Periodontitis, including details on treatment, causes, gingivitis, symptoms.

Age-dependent associations between chronic periodontitis/edentulism and risk of coronary heart disease.

Dietrich T, Jimenez M, Krall Kaye EA, Vokonas PS, Garcia RI

Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Mass, USA.

BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have suggested periodontitis as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), but results have been inconsistent. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the association between clinical and radiographic measures of periodontitis, edentulism, and incident CHD (angina, myocardial infarction, or fatal CHD) among 1203 men in the VA Normative Aging and Dental Longitudinal Studies who were followed up with triennial comprehensive medical and dental examinations up to 35 years (median 24 years). Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying effects of exposure and potential confounders were fit. We found a significant dose-dependent association between periodontitis and CHD incidence among men < 60 years of age (hazard ratio 2.12, 95% confidence interval 1.26 to 3.60 comparing highest versus lowest category of radiographic bone loss, P for trend=0.02), independent of age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, education, marital status, income, and occupation. No association was found among men > 60 years of age. Similar results were found when the sum of probing pocket depths was used as a measure of periodontitis. Among men > or = 60 years of age, edentulous men tended to have a higher risk of CHD than dentate men in the lowest bone loss (hazard ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 0.95 to 2.73) and lowest pocket depth (hazard ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 2.85) categories, independent of confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic periodontitis is associated with incidence of CHD among younger men, independent of established cardiovascular risk factors.

Published 1 April 2008 in Circulation, 117(13): 1668-74.
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Articles on Periodontitis published 21 March 2008:

Risk markers for periodontal pathology over time in the third molar and non-third molar regions in young adults.   J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 66(4): 749-54.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze the clinical impact of risk markers for third molar and non-third molar periodontal pathology over time. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were obtained from healthy adults with 4 asymptomatic third molars in an institutional review board-approved trial. Full-mouth periodontal probing depth (PD) data were collected as clinical measures of possible periodontal pathology. The third molar region included the 6 third molar probing sites and the 2 second molar ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Periodontitis published 20 March 2008:

A critically severe gingival bleeding following non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients medicated with anti-platelet.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 342-5.

BACKGROUND: Only a few dental procedures have been reported to cause life-threatening bleeding. All of these cases followed surgical intervention. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this paper, we report a case of severe bleeding following non-surgical periodontal procedures in a patient treated with a dual anti-platelet regimen post-coronary stent insertion. RESULTS: Her medical history included ischaemic heart disease, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Haemostasis was achieved at the conclusion of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Polymorphisms in the 5' flanking region of IL12RB2 are associated with susceptibility to periodontal diseases in the Japanese population.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 317-23.

OBJECTIVES: The expression of interleukin (IL)-12Rbeta2 molecule is a crucial regulatory factor in the T-helper type (Th) 1 differentiation of T cells. To elucidate the role of the cell-mediated immune (CMI) response in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, Japanese periodontal patients were subjected to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses of the 5' flanking region of IL12RB2, whose variants are frequently detected in lepromatous leprosy patients, in which the very weak cellular immune ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

A systematic review and meta-analyses on C-reactive protein in relation to periodontitis.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 277-90.

AIM: Elevated plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) is regarded as a risk predictor for cardiovascular diseases. This systematic review explored the robustness of observations that CRP is elevated in periodontitis. Similarly, the effect of periodontal therapy on CRP levels was investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Selection of publications was based on: (1) cross-sectional (case-control) studies; (2) longitudinal (treatment) studies; (3) high-sensitivity CRP measurement; (4) median and/or mean (+/-SD) ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Adjunctive effect of chlorhexidine in ultrasonic instrumentation of aggressive periodontitis patients: a pilot study.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 333-41.

AIM: The aim of the present pilot randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of ultrasonic mechanical instrumentation (UMI) associated with the professional use of chlorhexidine (CHX) formulations compared with UMI alone during periodontal supportive therapy in patients with generalized aggressive periodontis (G-AgP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine patients (test group) received a single session of UMI associated with subgingival irrigation under cavitation with CHX 0.02%. A 0.2% CHX ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 305-10.

AIM: In a general adult population, we have demonstrated an inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies that is in line with the hygiene hypothesis suggesting a protective effect of infections against the development of allergies. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies in a type 1 diabetes mellitus population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population comprised 170 patients with type 1 ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Functional Cathepsin C mutations cause different Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome phenotypes.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 311-6.

AIM: The autosomal-recessive Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is characterized by severe aggressive periodontitis, combined with palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, and is caused by mutations in the Cathepsin C (CTSC) gene. This study aimed to identify CTSC mutations in different PLS phenotypes, including atypical forms and isolated pre-pubertal aggressive periodontitis (PAP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirteen families with different phenotypes were analysed by direct sequencing of the entire coding ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Association between body weight and periodontal infection.   J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 297-304.

BACKGROUND: Besides being a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and type II diabetes, obesity has been suggested to be a risk factor for periodontitis. A number of epidemiological studies have studied the association between obesity and periodontitis, but the results have been partly inconclusive. The aim of this study was to examine the association of body weight with periodontal infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The association between body weight and periodontal infection ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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