RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Excess weight (EW), especially in women of childbearing age, those who are pregnant, as well as postpartum, is a problem worldwide. Fat accumulation deregulates the inflammatory response, contributing to the development of health problems, such as periodontitis. This study investigated the association between EW and periodontitis during pregnancy. METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicenter study involved 1745 postpartum women in Brazil. Socioeconomic-demographic data, gestational history, lifestyle behavior, and general and oral health conditions were obtained. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was collected from medical records with EW being the exposure. Both tooth loss and clinical attachment level (CAL) were evaluated, and the presence of periodontitis was the outcome. Logistic regression, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI), and quantile regression, beta coefficient and 95% CI, estimated the association between EW (BMI) and periodontitis and its combined effect with tooth loss ≥3, as dichotomous and continuous variables (CAL and tooth loss), with 5% significance level. RESULTS: The EW was 27.7% prevalent and periodontitis was 11.7%. There was a positive association between EW and periodontitis: ORadjusted:1.39; 95% CI:1.01;1.92 and between EW and periodontitis combined with tooth loss ≥3: ORadjusted:1.73; 95% CI:1.36;2.20. The adjusted association between EW and periodontitis as continuous variables was also positive, showing that for each unit of increased BMI, there was an elevation in the mean CAL (p = 0.04) and tooth loss (p < 0.01), with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: There was a moderate association between EW and periodontitis during pregnancy, with an even greater association of pregnant women with EW presenting periodontitis combined with tooth loss.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The treatment of leprosy reactions (LRs) involves thalidomide, corticosteroids, and other immunomodulatory medications. This study evaluated the effect of these treatments on the association between periodontitis and LRs, as well as factors associated with LRs. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 283 individuals followed at a leprosy outpatient clinic in Brazil. The case group was comprised of 158 individuals presenting type 1 or type 2 LRs, and the control group of 125 leprosy individuals without reactions. A complete oral examination was performed to diagnose periodontitis, the independent variable. Antireaction medication used was collected from medical records, and participants were classified according to the use of prednisone and/or thalidomide, time of use, or non-use of medication. Socioeconomic-demographic, clinical, and lifestyle covariables were collected by interview. Unconditional logistic regression analysis by subgroups evaluated the effect of antireaction medication on the association between periodontitis and LRs, estimating the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval (OR; 95% CI). RESULTS: A relationship between periodontitis and LRs was observed only in the subgroup using the association prednisone and thalidomide: ORadjusted = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.11-0.95. Conversely, more severe periodontal clinical parameters were observed in cases versus controls. Several socioeconomic, health conditions, and lifestyle factors were associated with the presence of LRs. CONCLUSIONS: Although periodontal disease indicators were worse among the cases, the findings showed a negative relationship between periodontitis and LRs in individuals receiving associated prednisone and thalidomide. These medications appear to influence the inflammatory cascade between diseases, modifying and masking the manifestations of periodontitis.
RESUMO
Abstract In the last five decades, considerable progress has been made towards understanding the etiology and pathogenesis of periodontal diseases and their interactions with the host. The impact of an individual periodontal condition on systemic homeostasis became more evident because of this knowledge and prompted advances in studies that associate periodontitis with systemic diseases and conditions. The term Periodontal Medicine describes how periodontal infection/inflammation can affect extraoral health. This review presents the current scientific evidence on the most investigated associations between periodontitis and systemic diseases and conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, preterm birth and low birth weight, and pneumonia. Additionally, other associations between periodontitis and chronic inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and Alzheimer's disease that were recently published and are still poorly studied were described. Thus, the aim of this review was to answer the following question: What is the future of Periodontal Medicine? Epidemiological evidence and the evidence of biological plausibility between periodontitis and general health reinforce the rationale that the study of Periodontal Medicine should continue to advance, along with improvements in the epidemiological method, highlighting the statistical power of the studies, the method for data analysis, the case definition of periodontitis, and the type of periodontal therapy to be applied in intervention studies.