Is COPD associated with periodontal disease? A population-based study in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease is more prevalent and more severe among men and women suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with healthy adults. The objectives of this paper were to assess the association between periodontal disease and COPD, controlling the effect of sociodemographic characteristics, oral health status, lifestyle variables, and comorbidities. Second, we identified which of the variables analyzed were independently associated with periodontal disease among COPD sufferers. METHODS: This descriptive study was done with data from the National/European Health Interview Surveys, conducted in years 2006, 2011/12, and 2014 in Spain. We included subjects ≥40 years of age. COPD status was self-reported. One non-COPD patient was matched by age, gender, and the year of survey for each COPD case. The presence of periodontal disease was defined using the answers "my teeth bleed spontaneously or while brushing" or/and "my teeth move" to the question: "Do you suffer of any of these dental and oral disorders or diseases?" Independent variables included demographic, socioeconomic, and health care-related variables, oral health status, and presence of comorbidities. RESULTS: The prevalence of periodontal disease was higher among COPD patients than their matched non-COPD controls (26.5% vs 22.2%; P<0.001). Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of periodontal disease for subjects with COPD was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12-1.30). Suffering mental disorders (AOR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.32-1.97) was positively associated with higher risk of periodontal disease. Older age, having a private dental health insurance, and university education were variables associated with lower rates of periodontal disease. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of periodontal disease was higher among those with COPD compared to non-COPD controls. Dentists and physicians should increase their awareness with their COPD patients, especially those who are younger, with lower education, and suffer depression and/or anxiety.

Infection by Epstein-Barr virus in Fes (Morocco). Prevalence and predictors of positivity in nasopharyngeal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and genotypic distribution of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a sample of patients of Hassan II University Hospital (Morocco) due to nasopharyngeal pathologies and requiring a biopsy. We identified factors associated to the EBV infection. METHODS: 112 patients were recruited (January 2012-October 2014). Biopsies were conducted for the molecular diagnosis of EBV. The data collected included sociodemographic characteristics, smoking and drug abuse, medical background and histologic diagnosis. The EBV diagnosis was performed via the Polymerase Chain Reaction. RESULTS: 50% of patients were infected by EBV (98.2% with EBV type A compared to 1.8% type B). Most infected patients were ≥40years(65.5%), male (59.6%) and in unfavorable socioeconomic circumstances. 83.3% of patients with lymphoma and 69.8% of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma presented concomitant EBV infections. 88.9% of patients who took drugs were infected by EBV compared to 47.7% of those who did not. In the multivariate analysis, age (OR 1.03; IC95% 1.02-1.06), smoking (OR 4.28; IC95%1.24-14.78) and having a malignant process (OR 6.96; IC95% 2.26-21.44) were significantly associated with EBV. CONCLUSIONS: Infection by EBV is related to several factors, such as advanced age, smoking, and suffering a malignant process. In subjects with malignant pathologies, positivity to EBV seems to be inferior to that found in other countries.