Periodontal Disease Linked to Heart Disease

A new study published in the Journal of Periodontology has found people who have more than four millimeters of alveolar bone loss from periodontal disease to be at increased risk of coronary heart disease. Alveolar bone is the bone holding the teeth in the mouth. The results are especially applicable to people below the age of 60.

Researchers found increased periodontal disease indicators in study participants who had coronary heart disease. These indicators which included alveolar bone loss, clinical attachment loss and bleeding were higher in heart patients as compared to the group without coronary heart disease.

110 patients with coronary heart disease and 140 people without coronary heart disease with a mean age of 65 years were covered under the study. 70% of the study population was male. All 250 participants were subjected to a medical and dental examination. The researchers found individuals who were below the age of 60 and had a mean alveolar bone loss of more than four millimeters had significantly higher chances of being a patient with coronary heart disease. The ratio for such patients was as high as 6.6.

“This study is distinctive because to our knowledge, it is the first to include both the alveolar bone loss and full mouth recording of clinical attachment loss as measurements of periodontal disease,” explained Dr. Karen Geismar, Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Science, at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. “Alveolar bone loss was recently found to be the periodontal variable that had the strongest association to coronary heart disease.”

It is believed chronic infections and the inflammatory response from diseases like periodontal disease may be the reason behind the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. “A number of pathways are suspected to be involved,” said Dr. Geismar. “One way is periodontal bacteria directly invade the arterial wall and another way is bacterial products from the periodontal pocket exert a systemic effect on atherosclerosis development based on the immune system.”

“This is one of many studies suggesting the spread of bacteria and bacterial products from the periodontal lesion to the bloodstream may contribute to coronary heart disease,” said Preston D. Miller, DDS and AAP President. “However, it is still uncertain whether or not the association between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease is causal. Until we know more, it is very important people talk to their dentist or periodontist about their periodontal health.”

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