Periodontal disease, race, and vascular disease.
Recently, a number of studies have rekindled the possible hypothesis that oral health has repercussions beyond the oral cavity and is associated with systemic diseases. Interestingly, it is a return to an old theory that chronic infections and inflammation played a crucial role in atherosclerosis. This larger theory was advocated by French physicians, among others, at the beginning of the 20th century. In this article, we will review the epidemiologic evidence pointing to a possible association between oral health and vascular diseases and examine the role of race/ethnicity in the interpretation of this association.
Desvarieux
M
M
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D044383:Black People; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American