title: Dental scaling and atrial fibrillation: a nationwide cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improvement of oral hygiene through dental scaling was associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular events. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether dental scaling can reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  In year 2000, a total of 28,909 subjects who were age 60 or more without past history of cardiac arrhythmias were identified from the "National Health Insurance Research Database" in Taiwan. Among these subjects, those who have received dental scaling at least 1 time/year for 3 consecutive years (1998-2000) were selected to be the exposed group (n=3391). A total of 13,564 age, sex and underlying disease-matched subjects without receiving dental scaling were identified to be the non-exposed group. The study endpoint was the occurrence of new-onset AF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a follow-up of 4.6 ± 1.1 years, 478 participants (2.8%) developed AF. The exposed group had a lower AF occurrence rate than non-exposed group (2.2% versus 3.0%; p value=0.017). After an adjustment with age, gender, and comorbidities in the multivariate analysis, dental scaling was associated with a reduced risk of AF (hazard ratio=0.671, 95% CI=0.524-0.859; p value=0.002). Among the exposed group, the hazard ratio in developing AF was 0.340 (95% CI=0.247-0.489; p value <0.001) when subjects received 1 more dental scaling per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of AF was lower in subjects receiving dental scaling. Improvement of oral hygiene by dental scaling may be a simple and useful way to prevent AF.
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Su-Ao and Yuanshan branch, I-Lan, Taiwan; Institute of Public Health and School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Su-Jung
authors: SJ
authors: Chen
authors: Chia-Jen
authors: CJ
authors: Liu
authors: Tze-Fan
authors: TF
authors: Chao
authors: Kang-Ling
authors: KL
authors: Wang
authors: Tzeng-Ji
authors: TJ
authors: Chen
authors: Pesus
authors: P
authors: Chou
authors: Fu-Der
authors: FD
authors: Wang
authors: Shing-Jong
authors: SJ
authors: Lin
authors: Chern-En
authors: CE
authors: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012534:Dental Scaling; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Dental scaling; Inflammation; Oral hygiene; Risk reduction