title: Pulpal inflammation and incidence of coronary heart disease.
abstract: Pulpal inflammation is primarily caused by coronal caries, and leads to root canal therapy (RCT). Chronic inflammation has been associated with various cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluates the association between pulpal inflammation (using RCT as a surrogate) and incident coronary heart disease (CHD). We report results among males from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), excluding participants with prior cardiovascular disease or diabetes. We obtained RCT data from the HPFS cohort (n = 34,683). Compared to men without RCT, those with >/=1 RCT had a multivariate RR of 1.21 (95% CI 1.05-1.40) for CHD. The association was limited to dentists (RR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.14-1.67). There was no association among nondentists (RR = 1.03). Dental caries was not associated with CHD. The results suggest a possible modest association between pulpal inflammation and CHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. kjoshipura@hsdm.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Kaumudi J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Joshipura
authors.forename: Waranuch
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pitiphat
authors.forename: Hsin-Chia
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: Graham A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Colditz
authors.forename: Chester W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Douglass
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology*; D011671:Pulpitis / Q000150:complications*; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires