Association between the insulin-like growth factor axis in serum and periodontitis in the Study of Health in Pomerania: an exploratory study.

AIM: To evaluate the association of Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) I-related variables with periodontitis in the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the cross-sectional SHIP, 2293 subjects with clinical attachment loss (CAL) data and 2398 subjects with tooth count data aged 20-59 years were analysed. Serum IGF-I and IGF-binding protein (BP)-3 levels were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassays. Linear and logistic regressions with fractional polynomials were used to study associations between IGF-related variables and mean CAL or high tooth loss. For non-linear relations between IGFBP-3 and mean CAL, graphical presentations of fractional polynomials were used to deduce knots for linear splines. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, for serum IGFBP-3 values ≤1200 ng/ml, mean CAL increased significantly for decreasing serum IGFBP-3 levels [B = -0.027 (95% CI, -0.049; -0.005), p = 0.02]. The odds for high tooth loss decreased significantly for high serum IGFBP-3 values [OR = 0.97 (0.95; 0.99), p = 0.02]. Serum IGF-I levels and the IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratio were not related to mean CAL or tooth loss after full adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Low serum IGFBP-3 levels might be associated with higher levels of periodontal disease. Neither serum IGF-I nor IGF-I/IGFBP-3 ratios were associated with periodontitis.

Self-reported halitosis and gastro-esophageal reflux disease in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Patients with halitosis contact primary care practitioners, dentists, and gastroenterologists alike. OBJECTIVES: It is unclear whether gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a risk factor for halitosis. DESIGN AND PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: We studied this possible relationship in the general population using the cross-sectional Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). Employing structured interviews, self-reported halitosis was assessed among 417 edentulous (toothless) subjects aged 40 to 81 years and among 2,588 dentate subjects aged 20 to 59 years. The presence of heartburn or acid regurgitation (GERD-related symptoms) at 4 levels (absent, mild, moderate, severe) was taken as exposure and used for logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders, such as age, sex, depressive symptoms, history of chronic gastritis, history of gastric or duodenal ulcer, smoking, school education, and dental status. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We found a strong positive association between GERD-related symptoms and halitosis (odds ratio 12.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.66-63.09, P = 0.002 for severe compared to no GERD-related symptoms) in denture-wearing subjects and a moderate, positive association between GERD-related symptoms and halitosis (odds ratio 2.24, 95% CI 1.27-3.92, P = 0.005) in dentate subjects with a clear dose-effect relationship. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides clear evidence for an association between GERD and halitosis. As there are effective treatments for GERD, these results suggest treatment options, such as proton pump inhibitors, for halitosis. These should be studied in randomized controlled trials.

Inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIM: In a general adult population, we have demonstrated an inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies that is in line with the hygiene hypothesis suggesting a protective effect of infections against the development of allergies. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies in a type 1 diabetes mellitus population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population comprised 170 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus aged 17-80 years. Respiratory allergies were present in 22 subjects. The attachment loss (AL) was measured. Periodontitis was defined according to the percentage of surfaces that exceeded 3 mm AL (healthy, mild, moderate, severe periodontal conditions). RESULTS: Our adjusted analyses revealed an inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies. For increasing AL, a trend towards a decreasing risk was present for respiratory allergies (p(trend)<0.05). Compared with subjects with healthy periodontal conditions, individuals with severe periodontal conditions had the lowest risk of respiratory allergies [odds ratios (OR) 0.06 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.39)], followed by subjects with moderate AL [OR 0.14 (95% CI 0.03-0.63)] and mild AL [OR 0.32 (95% CI 0.09-1.08)]. CONCLUSION: There is a strong inverse association between periodontitis and respiratory allergies in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. These findings further support the hygiene hypothesis.

Missing, unreplaced teeth and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

BACKGROUND: A dentition of at least 20 teeth is associated with sufficient masticatory efficiency and is a stated health goal of the World Health Organisation. We examined whether subjects with missing, unreplaced teeth had an increased mortality risk. METHODS: We used data prospectively collected from those participants in the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania who had fewer than 20 remaining teeth, resulting in a sample of 1803 participants with a median age of 64 years. Of those, 188 subjects had 9 or more unreplaced teeth. During a median follow-up period of 9.9 years, 362 subjects died, 128 of whom of cardiovascular causes. RESULTS: We found that having 9 or more unreplaced teeth was related to all-cause mortality (rate ratio 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11-2.10; adjusted for variables according to causal diagrams: remaining teeth, age, sex, education, income, marital status, partnership, and oral health behaviour) and cardiovascular mortality (rate ratio 1.94, 95% CI: 1.15-3.25). When adjusting not only for the variables according to causal diagrams but also for smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, the rate ratio was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.05-1.96) for all-cause mortality and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.10-3.21) for cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A reduced, unrestored dentition is associated with increased mortality risk. Thus, clinicians and dietitians have a responsibility to consider individual chewing ability in nutritional recommendations.

Evaluation of the periodontal status in acromegalic patients: a comparative study.

Aim. The aim was to compare the periodontal status of the acromegalic patients with healthy subjects from a large population-based cohort (Study of Health in Pomerania, SHIP). Materials and Methods. We studied 32 acromegalic patients (16 females) and 128 randomly selected SHIP subjects (controls) using a 1 : 4 matching. Serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels were measured using the Immulite 2500 system. Periodontitis was assessed by clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), and number of missing teeth. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess differences in periodontal variables between acromegalic patients and controls. Results. IGF-I levels were comparable in acromegalic patients and controls, whereas IGFBP-3 levels were significantly higher in acromegalic patients (P = 0.004). In multivariate modelling, both groups did not differ significantly with respect to mean CAL (P = 0.12) and high tooth loss (P = 0.36). Mean PD was higher in acromegalic patients by trend (B = 0.28 (-0.00; 0.56)). Conclusion. In acromegalic patients, periodontal disease severity did not differ from their healthy SHIP controls.

Cholesterol, C-Reactive Protein, and Periodontitis: HMG-CoA-Reductase Inhibitors (Statins) as Effect Modifiers.

Common risk factors of periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases fuel the debate on interrelationships between them. The aim is to prove whether statins may influence periodontal parameters by affecting either of these factors. Out of the 4,290 subjects of SHIP (Study of Health in Pomerania), we included subjects aged >30 years (219 with statins, 2937 without) and excluded edentulous. We determined periodontal measures, cholesterol fractions, and inflammation markers. Statin use and periodontal risk factors were assessed. Gingival plaque and periodontal attachment loss were associated with systemic LDL cholesterol (P < 0.001) and C-reactive protein CRP (P = 0.019) revealing interaction with statin use. When adjusted for age, sex, smoking, diabetes, education, and dental service, statins were identified as effect modifiers abolishing the relationship between attachment loss and LDL and between gingival plaque and LDL (interactions P < 0.001). No statin-related interaction was detected with increase in CRP. The interaction supports the view of inter-relationships between periodontal and systemic inflammatory mediators.

Periodontal status and A1C change: longitudinal results from the study of health in Pomerania (SHIP).

OBJECTIVE: Infection may be a type 2 diabetes risk factor. Periodontal disease is a chronic infection. We hypothesized that periodontal disease was related to A1C progression in diabetes-free participants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is a population-based cohort in Germany including 2,973 diabetes-free participants (53% women; aged 20-81 years). Participants were categorized into four groups according to increasing baseline periodontal disease levels (percentage of sites per mouth with attachment loss >or=5 mm, determined a priori); sample sizes for each respective category were 1,122, 488, 463, and 479 (241 participants were edentulous). Mean absolute changes (year 5 minus baseline) in A1C (DeltaA1C) were regressed across periodontal categories while adjusting for confounders (e.g., age, sex, smoking, obesity, physical activity, and family history). RESULTS: Across baseline periodontal disease categories, DeltaA1C +/- SEM values were 0.023 +/- 0.02, 0.023 +/- 0.02, 0.065 +/- 0.03, and 0.106 +/- 0.03 (P(trend) = 0.02), yielding an approximate fivefold increase in the absolute difference in DeltaA1C when dentate participants in the highest versus lowest periodontal disease category were compared; these results were markedly stronger among participants with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein >or=1.0 mg/l (P(interaction) = 0.01). When individuals who had neither baseline periodontal disease nor deterioration in periodontal status at 5 years were compared with individuals with both poor baseline periodontal health and longitudinal periodontal deterioration, mean DeltaA1C values were 0.005 vs. 0.143% (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Periodontal disease was associated with 5-year A1C progression, which was similar to that observed for a 2-SD increase in either waist-to-hip ratio or age in this population.