The occurrence of dental caries is associated with atherosclerosis
Open Access
- 1 July 2013
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Clinics
- Vol. 68 (7), 946-953
- https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2013(07)10
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that marginal periodontitis is a risk factor for developing atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to determine whether caries may also be associated with atherosclerosis. The computed tomography data sets of 292 consecutive patients, 137 women and 155 men with a mean age of 54.1±17.3 years, were analyzed. Caries were quantified based on the number of decayed surfaces of all the teeth, and periodontitis was quantified on the basis of the horizontal bone loss in the jaw. The presence of chronic apical periodontitis (CAP) was assessed, and the aortic atherosclerotic burden was quantified using a calcium scoring method. The patients with <1 caries surfaces/tooth had a lower atherosclerotic burden (0.13±0.61 mL) than patients with ≥1 caries surfaces/tooth. The atherosclerotic burden was greater in patients with a higher number of lesions with pulpal involvement and more teeth with chronic apical periodontitis. In the logistical regression models, age (Wald 49.3), number of caries per tooth (Wald 26.4), periodontitis (Wald 8.6), and male gender (Wald 11) were found to be independent risk factors for atherosclerosis. In the linear regression analyses, age and the number of decayed surfaces per tooth were identified as influencing factors associated with a higher atherosclerotic burden, and the number of restorations per tooth was associated with a lower atherosclerotic burden. Dental caries, pulpal caries, and chronic apical periodontitis are associated positively, while restorations are associated inversely, with aortic atherosclerotic burden. Prospective studies are required to confirm these observations and answer the question of possible causality.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2012 UpdateCirculation, 2012
- Including Socioeconomic Status in Coronary Heart Disease Risk EstimationAnnals of Family Medicine, 2010
- Influence of Life-Course Socioeconomic Position on Incident Heart Failure in Blacks and Whites: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities StudyAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2010
- Periodontitis in psoriasis patients. A blinded, case-controlled studyActa Odontologica Scandinavica, 2010
- Horizontal alveolar bone loss: A periodontal orphanJournal of Indian Society of Periodontology, 2010
- Treatment of periodontal disease results in improvements in endothelial dysfunction and reduction of the carotid intima‐media thicknessThe FASEB Journal, 2008
- Dental and Periodontal Status and Risk for Progression of Carotid AtherosclerosisStroke, 2006
- Detection of Cariogenic Streptococcus mutans in Extirpated Heart Valve and Atheromatous Plaque SpecimensJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2006
- Early Carotid Atherosclerosis in Subjects With Periodontal DiseasesStroke, 2005
- ROC analysis of observer‐response subjective rating data—application to periodontal radiograph assessmentAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology, 1991