RESUMEN
We aimed to characterize the association between air pollutants exposure and periodontal diseases outpatient visits and to explore the interactions between ambient air pollutants and meteorological factors. The outpatient visits data of several large stomatological and general hospitals in Hefei during 2015-2020 were collected to explore the relationship between daily air pollutants exposure and periodontal diseases by combining Poisson's generalized linear model (GLMs) and distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNMs). Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the vulnerability of different populations to air pollutants exposure. The interaction between air pollutants and meteorological factors was verified in both multiplicative and additive interaction models. An interquartile range (IQR) increased in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration was associated with the greatest lag-specific relative risk (RR) of gingivitis at lag 3 days (RR = 1.087, 95% CI 1.008-1.173). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure also increased the risk of periodontitis at the day of exposure (RR = 1.049, 95% CI 1.004-1.096). Elderly patients with gingivitis and periodontitis were both vulnerable to PM2.5 exposure. The interaction analyses showed that exposure to high levels of NO2 at low temperatures was related to an increased risk of gingivitis, while exposure to high levels of NO2 and PM2.5 may also increase the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis in the high-humidity environment, respectively. This study supported that NO2 and PM2.5 exposure increased the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis outpatient visits, respectively. Besides, the adverse effects of air pollutants exposure on periodontal diseases may vary depending on ambient temperature and humidity.