Periodontal disease and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological and microbiological study.
OBJECTIVE
This is an investigation on the association between periodontal disease and an increased risk of coronary heart disease; the main hypothesis is that periodontal infections may increase the systemic inflammatory burden of the host above a threshold that may favour the atherogenic processes.


METHODS
Case-control study with 27 cases, cardiologically affected, and 15 healthy controls. Patients underwent a complete periodontal probing. Periodontal conditions were compared between cases and controls to assess the mentioned association and to search for periodontal conditions related to the increased coronary risk. The presence and prevalence of periodontal pathogens was assessed in crevicular fluid samples.


RESULTS
The overall periodontal conditions resulted worse in the test group. In particular periodontal conditions such as the presence of deep pockets (probing depth >6 mm) and the loss of more than 12 teeth might represent indicators of a strongly increased risk of cardiological disease and microbiological investigations confirmed these findings; Prevotella gingivalis was the most common bacteria.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the existence of an epidemiologic association between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease and confirms previous data present in the literature. Two periodontal parameters, deep pockets and number of missing teeth, seem to be important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
Latronico
Matteo
M
Dental clinic, School of Dentistry, University of Genoa, Italy. matlat@uno.it
Segantini
Alessandro
A
Cavallini
Fabrizio
F
Mascolo
Andrea
A
Garbarino
Federico
F
Bondanza
Sara
S
Debbia
Eugenio A
EA
Blasi
Giorgio
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016866:Bacteroidaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005883:Gingival Crevicular Fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D018720:Prevotella / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology