title: Periodontal disease in patients with ischemic coronary atherosclerosis at a University Hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the prevalence of periodontal disease (PD) in patients with ischemic heart disease. PD is a serious public dental health care problem with a differentiated distribution in regards to severity, age group, type of infection, co-morbidities and risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and eighty patients were examined at the Ischemic Cardiopathy Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, São Paulo University, as well as 154 patients without heart disease from the same institution. Fifty-eight patients with heart disease and 62 patients without heart disease between the ages of 30 and 79 met the criteria to be included in the investigation. In accordance with recommendations of WHO (1999) the Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and the Periodontal Attachment Loss Index (PALI) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with heart disease had a prevalence of sextants with moderate to advanced PD (76.3% versus 20.2%; p < 0.00001). In these patients, 1.1% of the sextants were found to be healthy versus 32.0% of those without heart disease (p < 0.00001). In regards to the progression of PD, 6.0% of the sextants of the patients with heart disease did not exhibit attachment loss versus 68.0% of those without heart disease (p < 0.00001). Dental biofilm was observed in 100.0% of the patients with heart disease and in 82.3% of those without heart disease (p < 0.001). Treatment of periodontal pockets > 6 mm was required in 79.3% of the patients with heart disease versus 9.7% of those without heart disease (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PD was very prevalent in the groups studied with a higher degree of severity in those with ischemic heart diseases. The elevated prevalence of risk factors found, indicates that intervention strategies are required.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. analuciabarilli@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Ana Lúcia Azevedo
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Barilli
authors.forename: Afonso Dinis Costa
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: José Antônio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Marin-Neto
authors.forename: Laércio Joel
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index