Does Periodontal Disease Increase the Risk of Major Cardiovascular Events?

Patients presenting with periodontal disease may be at increased risk of future major cardiovascular events, according to research from Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Harvard University. The study, “Inflammation of the Periodontium Associates With Risk of Future Cardiovascular Events,” determined inflammation of the periodontium predicts cardiovascular events. 

In this study, researchers performed F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG-PET/CT) on 304 subjects to quantify arterial inflammation and periodontal inflammation. At a four-year follow-up, 13 study participants were found to have developed major cardiovascular events. After adjusting for cardiovascular disease risk, including smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, the team reports the relationship between periodontal inflammation and arterial inflammation was significant. Arterial inflammation was said to account for 80% of the relationship between periodontal inflammation and major cardiovascular events.

Periodontal bone loss was not found to be associated with cardiovascular events. According to Forsyth News, participants who did not have actively inflamed gingiva had a lower risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease, even if they had a prior history of periodontal disease.