Impact of dental health intervention on cardiovascular metabolic risk: a pilot study of Japanese adults.

This study aimed to determine whether a dental health education program would reduce cardiometabolic risk (obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia) in people with periodontitis. We used annual check-up data provided by the Japanese company's health insurance union. Of 182 male employees with cardiometabolic risk and periodontal pockets at baseline, 21 participants of the dental health education program and 21 non-participants matched for age, the presence of obesity, and periodontal pocket at baseline were allocated to the intervention (mean age, 53.3 ± 7.0) and the non-intervention groups (mean age, 52.9 ± 7.0), respectively. The program focused on self-removal of dental plaque with a toothbrush and interdental brush and comprised five sessions over 12 months. In the intervention group, waist circumference (cm) and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) decreased from 88.4 ± 6.3 to 86.8 ± 6.3 and from 85.7 ± 8.2 to 82.6 ± 8.3, respectively (P < 0.05). Intergroup comparison showed significant improvement of systolic blood pressure (mmHg) in the intervention group (-3.7 ± 12.5) compared with the non-intervention group (4.0 ± 15.9) (P < 0.05) with no significant differences in the other parameters. The intervention group had a decrease in plaque accumulation and periodontitis symptoms, such as the depth of periodontal pocket and the presence of periodontal pocket and bleeding on probing, but an increase in the frequency of interdental brushing and duration of tooth brushing. Our findings show that dental self-care may improve blood pressure in people with cardiometabolic risk factors and periodontitis.

Effect of Periodontitis and Toothbrushing Frequency on Obesity Onset: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND The interplay between obesity and periodontitis has been widely examined. While obesity was reported as a risk factor for periodontitis, the inverse relationship is still little explored. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether periodontitis and toothbrushing frequency affect the onset of obesity. MATERIAL AND METHODS This cohort study included 1619 employees of a business enterprise headquartered in Tokyo, who in 2002 and 2006 underwent in prescribed annual health checks, both general and dental-specific, and who were not obese in 2002 (body mass index <25). The response variable was obesity (or absence) at 4 years, while the explanatory variables were presence/absence of periodontal pockets and toothbrushing frequency in 2002; their relationships were examined by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Subjects with periodontal pockets ≥4 mm showed a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for onset of obesity at 4 years than those without periodontal pockets [OR: 1.59, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.08-2.35, p<0.05]. Similarly, subjects who brushed their teeth ≥3 times/day had a significantly lower obesity OR than those who brushed ≤1 time/day (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.85, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The presence of periodontal pockets and toothbrushing frequency are significantly associated with the onset of obesity. Periodontal pockets ≥4 mm are associated with increased risk of obesity, while frequent toothbrushing (≥3 times/day) appears to reduce the risk of obesity.

Association Between the Duration of Periodontitis and Increased Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A 9-Year Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have reported that periodontitis and cardiometabolic disease such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are associated; however, there have been very few prospective cohort studies on this topic. Therefore, we conducted a 9-year follow-up study to examine the relationship between the duration of periodontitis and cardiometabolic risk factors, including hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and obesity. METHODS: The study participants comprised 572 adult industrial workers (417 men and 155 women; mean age, 37.4 years) who had undergone annual medical and dental health examinations from 2003 to 2012; the evaluation of the four cardiometabolic risk factors in 2003 revealed normal values in all the participants. We investigated the relationship between the cumulative duration of the presence of periodontal pockets, which is a major symptom of periodontitis, and the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors after 9 years using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of ≥1 cardiometabolic risk factor in participants with a cumulative duration of periodontal pockets for ≥6 years was significantly higher than that in participants without pockets. The ORs for the onset of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia were higher in participants with a cumulative duration of periodontal pockets for ≥6 years than those in participants without pockets or in participants with a cumulative duration of periodontal pockets for ≤5 years, and all the differences, except dyslipidemia, were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic periodontitis was significantly associated with having cardiometabolic risk factors during the 9-year observation period, suggesting that the risk of cardiometabolic disease might increase in people who have untreated periodontitis.

Serum γ-glutamyltransferase level is associated with periodontal disease independent of drinking habits in Japanese adults.

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is considered a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Periodontal disease is a mild chronic inflammatory disease with systemic effects, and many studies have indicated an association between metabolic syndrome and periodontitis. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between periodontitis and liver biochemical parameters according to alcohol drinking habits through a cross-sectional study based on data from Japanese people in occupational settings. Material and Methods The subjects were 1510 employees (1218 males, 292 females, mean age 50.4 years) who underwent dental and medical checkups in 2012. Associations between the presence of periodontal pockets and serum levels of liver biochemical parameters were assessed. Results Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels were higher in subjects with than without periodontal pockets. Multiple logistic regression analysis (adjusting for age, gender, cigarette smoking, and alcohol drinking habits, and components of metabolic syndrome) with GGT or ALT as the dependent variable revealed that there was a significant association between periodontal pockets and GGT (odds ratio, OR=1.48), but not ALT. Similar associations were observed when an analysis was performed according to the presence or absence of alcohol drinking habits; the OR was higher in subjects without (OR=1.84) than with drinking habits (OR=1.41). Conclusions The presence of periodontal pockets was associated with serum levels of GGT, a liver biochemical parameter, in Japanese adults with no drinking habit, suggesting that periodontal disease is associated with liver function, independent of alcohol ingestion.

A cohort study on the association between periodontal disease and the development of metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: An association between periodontal disease and metabolic syndrome based on cross-sectional and case-control studies was recently reported, but their causal relationship has not been fully clarified. The objective of this cohort study is to investigate the association between periodontal disease and changes in metabolic-syndrome components to accumulate evidence of the causal relationship between the two conditions. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 1,023 adult employees (727 males and 296 females; mean age: 37.3 years) who underwent medical and dental checkups between 2002 and 2006 and in whom all metabolic-syndrome components were within the standard values in 2002. The association between the presence of periodontal pockets and the positive conversion of metabolic-syndrome components was investigated using multiple logistic-regression analysis, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The presence of periodontal pockets was associated with a positive conversion of one or more metabolic components during the 4-year observation period (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.2). The ORs for a positive conversion of one component and two or more components were 1.4 (95% CI: 1.0 to 2.1) and 2.2 (95% CI: 1.1 to 4.1), respectively, and the difference was significant for two or more positive components. Of the metabolic-syndrome components, positive conversions of blood pressure and the blood-lipid index were significantly associated with the presence of periodontal pockets. CONCLUSION: The presence of periodontal pockets was associated with a positive conversion of metabolic-syndrome components, suggesting that preventing periodontal disease may prevent metabolic syndrome.