The association between alcohol consumption and periodontitis in southern Brazilian adults.
OBJECTIVE
An association between alcohol consumption and periodontitis has been suggested in the literature, but the evidence is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and periodontitis in a probability sample of adults from south Brazil.


METHODS
This analysis included 1115 subjects aged 18-65 years derived from a representative sample from south Brazil. Data were collected from participants from clinical examination and structured interviews. Alcohol consumption was assessed by asking participants about the usual number of drinks consumed in a week. Four categories of alcohol consumption were defined: non-drinker, ≤ 1 glass/wk, > 1 glass/wk, ≤ 1 glass/d and > 1 glass/d. Individuals with ≥ 30% teeth with periodontal attachment loss ≥ 5 mm were classified as having periodontitis. Logistic models adjusting for age, race, socioeconomic status, dental care, body mass index, self-reported diabetes and smoking were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (95% CI).


RESULTS
After adjusting for co-factors, females who reported drinking > 1 glass/d were more likely to have periodontitis (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.4-10.1), whereas females who reported drinking up to 1 glass/d were 50% less likely to have periodontitis (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-0.8). No significant associations between overall alcohol intake and periodontitis were observed for males. In an exploratory analysis, wine consumption was associated with a lower likelihood of periodontitis among males (OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1-0.5) but not females.


CONCLUSIONS
The periodontal health of males and females appears to be affected differently by alcohol consumption. Moderate wine consumption may have a beneficial effect in males.
Department of Periodontics and Oral Biology, College of Dental Medicine, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA.
C
C
Susin
Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
M C
MC
Wagner
Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
A N
AN
Haas
Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
R V
RV
Oppermann
Periodontal Diagnostics Research Laboratory, Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology, Temple University, School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
J M
JM
Albandar
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss; D010518:Periodontitis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
alcohol consumption; epidemiology; periodontitis; risk factors