Takeaway
- Patients with self-reported periodontitis (bleeding and painful gums and loose teeth) were likely to develop multimorbidity earlier and more frequently, which may further increase the risk of mortality.
Why this matters
- Findings suggest that patients with severe periodontitis should be informed about the potential risks of disease progression and associated multimorbidity, with an emphasis on targeted early prevention initiatives.
Study design
- UK researchers conducted a prospective cohort study involving 188,863 participants (age, 40-69 years), identified from the UK Biobank (2006-2020).
- Self-reported oral health indicators (bleeding and painful gums and loose teeth) were used as surrogates for periodontitis.
- Funding: None.
Key results
- Of 188,863 participants, 3225 (1.7%) had painful gums, 19,930 (10.6%) had bleeding gums and 3896 (2.1%) had loose teeth.
- During follow-up, patients with loose teeth vs control group had a higher incidence of systemic disease conditions including (relative risk [RR]; 95% CI):
- cardiovascular disease (CVD; 1.15; 1.03-1.28);
- hypertension (1.14; 1.05-1.24);
- respiratory disease (1.63; 1.40-1.91); and
- depression (1.33; 1.09-1.61).
- Patients with painful gums vs control group had a higher incidence of systemic disease conditions including (RR; 95% CI):
- CVD (1.29; 1.14-1.47); and
- depression (1.34; 1.09-1.64).
- Patients with bleeding gums vs control group had a higher incidence of systemic conditions including (RR; 95% CI):
- hypertension (1.08; 1.02-1.14); and
- liver disease (1.66; 1.19-2.33).
Limitations
- Periodontitis indicators were not validated in the UK Biobank population.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
