title: The relationship of periodontal disease to cardiovascular diseases--review of literature.
abstract: Association of Oral and Systemic diseases has gained importance because the high occurrence of oral diseases is an extremely common source of infection. Epidemiological Studies have presented periodontal diseases as a risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases. A chronic oral infection such as periodontitis is a constant potential source of infection and has now been considered as a separate risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, peripheral arterial disease and respiratory diseases as well as delivery of low-birth-weight infants. The possible pathways linking oral infections to systemic diseases are metastatic infections, bacterial endotoxins, and systemic vascular injury. People with a history of periodontal disease and/or tooth loss were found at higher risk for Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as compared to those without periodontal disease and/or tooth loss. All studies on the relationship of periodontal diseases to cardiovascular diseases are inconclusive and most of the data is based on epidemiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Sheikh Zayed Fedral Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore.
authors.forename: S Akhtar Hussain
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bokhari
authors.forename: Ayyaz A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D006801:Humans; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors