Supportive periodontal care in dental practice: Part 1 - the importance and implications for general dental practitioners.

Supportive periodontal care is an essential component of maintaining the outcome of periodontal treatment. It is essential to ensure cost benefit to both patients and the health services where millions are spent on treating patients with periodontal disease. The dentist must be able to recognise the crucial and important role they play in providing supportive care and therapy to periodontally compromised patients, either independently or as part of a wider dental team, over and above the various challenges they may experience in the provision of such care in general dental practice. The timely intervention with treatment or referral during this phase will help reduce the risk of tooth loss and adverse consequences to the dentist and their team by way of litigation. The aim of this paper is to provide an update on the delivery of supportive periodontal care in general dental practice with a particular reference to the role of the dentist.

Pericardial Effusion in Association With Periodontitis: Case Report and Review of 8 Patients in Literature.

Periodontal diseases are well-known background for infective endocarditis. Here, we show that pericardial effusion or pericarditis might have origin also in periodontal diseases. An 86-year-old man with well-controlled hypertension and diabetes mellitus developed asymptomatic increase in pericardial effusion. Two weeks previously, he took oral new quinolone antibiotics for a week because he had painful periodontitis along a dental bridge in the mandibular teeth on the right side and presented cheek swelling. The sputum was positive for Streptococcus species. He was healthy and had a small volume of pericardial effusion for the previous 5 years after drug-eluting coronary stents were inserted at the left anterior descending branch 10 years previously. The differential diagnoses listed for pericardial effusion were infection including tuberculosis, autoimmune diseases, and metastatic malignancy. Thoracic to pelvic computed tomographic scan demonstrated no mass lesions, except for pericardial effusion and a small volume of pleural effusion on the left side. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography disclosed many spotty uptakes in the pericardial effusion. The patient denied pericardiocentesis, based on his evaluation of the risk of the procedure. He was thus discharged in several days and followed at outpatient clinic. He underwent dental treatment and pericardial effusion resolved completely in a month. He was healthy in 6 years until the last follow-up at the age of 92 years. We also reviewed 8 patients with pericarditis in association with periodontal diseases in the literature to reveal that periodontal diseases would be the background for developing infective pericarditis and also mediastinitis on some occasions.

The Association of Maternal Periodontal Diseases in the Postpartum Period with Preterm Low Birth Weight.

AIM: Preterm birth is the most adverse effect of pregnancy, commonly leading to low birth weight. Our study aimed to assess the relationship between maternal periodontal status and adverse pregnancy outcomes by immediate postpartum periodontal examination and diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 125 mothers were divided into four groups based on gestational day (GD) and newborns' birth weight (BW); the mothers with GD ≥ 259 days and BW ≥ 2500 gm (Control), the mothers with GD <259 days and BW ≥ 2500 gm (PT group), the mothers with GD ≥ 259 days and BW <2500 gm (LBW group), and the mothers with GD <259 days and BW <2500 gm (PT-LBW group). The maternal periodontal assessment was carried out within 3 days after delivery. RESULTS: The bleeding on probing (BOP) of the PT-LBW group was significantly higher than the control (P = 0.027). The correlation test revealed a mild inverse relationship between BOP and BW (R = -0.23, P = 0.044). According to the new 2018 American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) periodontal classification, there was no significant difference between periodontal status within groups. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that BOP, an early sign of gingival inflammation, is involved in adverse pregnancy outcomes. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study is the first of its kind to use immediate postpartum periodontal examination and diagnosis by the new 2018 AAP periodontal classification. The findings demonstrate that signs of gingival inflammation may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. How to cite this article: Yanaranci S, Laosrisin N, Sriprasertsuk A, et al. The Association of Maternal Periodontal Diseases in the Postpartum Period with Preterm Low Birth Weight. J Contemp Dent Pract 2024;25(2):99-106.

Periodontal diseases and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and respiratory diseases: Summary of the consensus report by the European Federation of Periodontology and WONCA Europe.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory non-communicable disease (NCD) characterised by the destruction of the tooth-supporting apparatus (periodontium), including alveolar bone, the presence of periodontal pockets, and bleeding on probing. OBJECTIVES: To outline, for family doctors, the implications of the association between periodontal and systemic diseases; to explore the role of family doctors in managing periodontitis as an ubiquitous non-communicable disease (NCD). METHODS: The consensus reports of previous focused collaborative workshops between WONCA Europe and the European Federation of Periodontology (using previously undertaken systematic reviews), and a specifically commissioned systematic review formed the technical papers to underpin discussions. Working groups prepared proposals independently, and the proposals were subsequently discussed and approved at plenary meetings. RESULTS: Periodontitis is independently associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, and COVID-19 complications. Treatment of periodontitis has been associated with improvements in systemic health outcomes. The article also presents evidence gaps. Oral health care professionals (OHPs) and family doctors should collaborate in managing these conditions, including implementing strategies for early case detection of periodontitis in primary medical care centres and of systemic NCDs in oral/dental care settings. There is a need to raise awareness of periodontal diseases, their consequences, and the associated risk factors amongst family doctors. CONCLUSION: Closer collaboration between OHPs and family doctors is important in the early case detection and management of NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and respiratory diseases. Strategies for early case detection/prevention of NCDs, including periodontitis, should be developed for family doctors, other health professionals (OHPs), and healthcare funders. Evidence-based information on the reported associations between periodontitis and other NCDs should be made available to family doctors, OHPs, healthcare funders, patients, and the general population.

Periodontitis is independently associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, and COVID-19.Periodontal treatment for optimal outcomes improves diabetes outcomes and surrogate measures of cardiovascular risk.Closer collaboration between oral health care professionals and family doctors is important in the early case detection and management of non-communicable diseases.Information on the reported associations should be made available to family doctors, oral health professionals, healthcare funders, patients, and the general population.

Association of periodontal disease treatment with mortality in patients with dementia: a population-based retrospective cohort study (2002-2018).

Dementia is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In this study, we analyzed the association of periodontal treatment with the risk of death in patients with dementia. The analyzed data were obtained by linking the National Health Insurance Corporation claims data between 2002 and 2018 to the Statistics Korea death registry. In total, 1,131,406 patients with dementia aged ≥ 65 years had undergone dental treatment during the study period. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was performed. The mortality rate was approximately 10% among the patients with dementia. The 17-years cumulative survival rates for patients who received periodontal treatment and their untreated counterparts were 83.5% and 71.5%, respectively. The crude hazard ratio of the periodontal group was approximately twice as high as that of the non-periodontal group (1.99; P < 0.001). Furthermore, in the regression model that was adjusted for socio-demographic variables and systematic chronic diseases, the risk of death in the non-periodontal group was approximately 1.83 times higher than that of the periodontal group (P < 0.00). These findings suggest that preventive periodontal treatment may decrease mortality risk in older people with dementia.

Gastric adenocarcinoma and periodontal disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The oral cavity is a link between of external environment with gastrointestinal tract. Studies are controversial on the presence of Periodontal Disease (PD) and its association with Gastric Adenocarcinoma (GAC). METHODS: The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to verify the association between PD and GAC. Six electronic databases were evaluated between 1961 and 2022. Titles and abstracts were reviewed independently according to the eligibility criteria, assessing full texts of selected studies. The quality of the included research was verified using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for case-control and cohort studies. Statistical analyses were performed based on fixed and/or random effects models to calculate the summarized Relative Risk (RR) and its 95 % Confidence Interval (95 % CI). RESULTS: There were 639 studies, of which nine articles were included (3 case-controls and 6 cohorts). Overall, the authors identified 1,253 cases of GAC 2,501 controls in case-control studies, and 1,631 patients with GAC enrolled in cohort studies. Patients presenting PD increased the risk of developing GAC by 17 % (RR=1.17; 95 % CI 1.03‒1.32), which remained regardless of the diagnostic method for PD, i.e., clinical examination (RR = 1.19; 95 % CI 1.14‒1.24) and self-report (RR = 1.34; 95 % CI 1.06‒1.69). Moreover, Asian patients (RR=1.17; 95 % CI 1.00‒1.36) with PD had a higher risk of having GAC than American and European patients (RR = 1.18; 95 % CI 0.84‒1.66). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of PD the risk of GAC suggesting that its infectious-inflammatory process of PD may be related to GAC development. Further investigations on the oral-gastric microbiota and its role in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer should be carried out, and the screening of patients with potential risk for GAC should be considered in the clinical practice of dentists.

Comparative Study on the Periodontal Parameters Used in Diagnosing Periodontitis in Puerperae and Periodontitis' Relationship with the Birth of Preterm Infants: A Case-Control Study.

To compare different criteria for the diagnosis of periodontitis and to evaluate the association of this condition with prematurity, this case-control study was conducted on 283 mothers of infants, divided into two groups based on gestational age (cases: <37 weeks, controls: ≥37 weeks), with 71 cases and 212 controls. The periodontal evaluation included probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index, and bleeding on probing (BOP). Participants were classified regarding periodontitis per 14 criteria based on different periodontal parameters. The criterion selected as the gold standard was the presence of at least four teeth with one or more sites with a PD ≥ 4 mm, CAL ≥ 3 mm, and BOP at the same site. The prevalence of periodontal disease ranged from 8.1% to 55.1%. Moreover, compared to the gold standard, the sensitivities of the other criteria were 100%, while specificity ranged from 50.4% to 96.4%. Periodontitis, defined by six of the selected criteria, was associated with prematurity after multivariate adjustment, with OR ranging from 1.85 to 2.69 and 95% CI from 1.01 to 5.56; one of them was the gold standard mentioned above. Measurements using the clinical parameters of PD, CAL, and bleeding at the same site (criteria 5, 6, 7, 8), CPI (criterion 10), and at least four teeth with a PD ≥ 4 mm and CAL ≥ 3 mm (criterion 11) to define periodontitis showed a statistically significant association (p < 0.05). Given this study's limitations, we can conclude that the diagnostic criteria for a periodontitis definition using a PD ≥ 4 mm and CAL ≥ 3 mm in two or more teeth, with BOP at the same site, seem stronger when detecting an association between periodontitis and prematurity.

Association between dry eye and periodontal disease in community-dwelling Japanese adults: data from the Uonoma cohort study.

BACKGROUND: While research has explored the risk of periodontal disease in various eye conditions, the link between dry eye and periodontal disease remains underexplored, especially in Japanese adults. This study aims to investigate the association between dry eye and periodontal disease in community-dwelling Japanese adults. METHODS: This study is a subset of the Uonuma cohort study, which includes Japanese adults aged 40 years and older residing in the Uonuma area of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Participants completed a self-administered, paper-based questionnaire. Statistical analyses, including the chi-square test, independent t test, ANOVA test, and logistic regressions, were employed to assess the association of periodontal disease with independent variables. RESULTS: Among 36,488 participants (average age 63.3 years, 47.4% men), 39.3% had a history of periodontal disease, and gender differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Significant associations were found between periodontal disease and dry eye diagnosis or symptoms. Univariable logistic regression revealed links between periodontal disease and age, gender, living status, alcohol consumption, remaining teeth, bite molar availability, and history of dry eye disease or symptoms. Multiple-adjusted regression found that doctor-diagnosed dry eye was associated with a higher likelihood of periodontal disease (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.22). Participants who never experienced dryness or foreign body sensation had lower ORs of periodontal disease than those who always experienced such symptoms across all models. CONCLUSION: A significant correlation was found between dry eye and periodontal disease in Japanese adults. Regular check-ups, early detection, and effective management of both conditions are strongly recommended.

Periodontal disease in patients with WHIM syndrome.

AIM: WHIM (warts, hypogammaglobulinaemia, infections and myelokathexis) syndrome is a rare combined primary immunodeficiency disease caused by gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and includes severe neutropenia as a common feature. Neutropenia is a known risk factor for periodontitis; however, a detailed periodontal evaluation of a WHIM syndrome cohort is lacking. This study aimed to establish the evidence base for the periodontal status of patients with WHIM syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two adult WHIM syndrome patients and 22 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers (HVs) were evaluated through a comprehensive medical and periodontal examination. A mouse model of WHIM syndrome was assessed for susceptibility to naturally progressing or inducible periodontitis. RESULTS: Fourteen patients with WHIM syndrome (63.6%) and one HV (4.5%) were diagnosed with Stage III/IV periodontitis. No WHIM patient presented with the early onset, dramatic clinical phenotypes typically associated with genetic forms of neutropenia. Age, but not the specific CXCR4 mutation or absolute neutrophil count, was associated with periodontitis severity in the WHIM cohort. Mice with a Cxcr4 GOF mutation did not exhibit increased alveolar bone loss in spontaneous or ligature-induced periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, WHIM syndrome patients presented with an increased severity of periodontitis despite past and ongoing neutrophil mobilization treatments. GOF mutations in CXCR4 may be a risk factor for periodontitis in humans.

Self-reported oral health is associated with systemic health outcomes and all-cause mortality.

BACKGROUND: Self-reported oral health questions (OHQs) are used commonly for epidemiologic surveillance of periodontal disease (PD). The authors' objective was to investigate how OHQs are associated with well-established systemic comorbidities of PD and their impact on all-cause mortality. The authors hypothesized that OHQs exhibit associations with systemic comorbidities similar to PD. METHODS: Two independent data sets were used to achieve these objectives: the Women's Health Study, a prospective cohort of women 45 years or older with self-reported information on PD, OHQs, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis in various timeframes (continuous from 1992) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), with data on OHQs and linked mortality (1999-2018). The authors applied multivariate logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazard regression survival analyses to test their hypotheses. RESULTS: The Women's Health Study participants who reported having PD until 2006 were more likely to later report deteriorating oral health, bone loss around their teeth, or periodontal treatment in 2018. Self-rated fair or poor oral health was independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (odds ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.69; P < .001), diabetes (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.43; P = .028), and osteoporosis (odds ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.38 to 1.84; P < .001). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants who self-rated fair or poor oral health had higher risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.37; P = .027). CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported oral health had a similar magnitude of associations with systemic comorbidities as established with PD previously. Moreover, self-rated fair or poor oral health, suboptimal dental visits, or infrequent flossing were associated with increased all-cause mortality. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These results support the use of OHQs in assessing systemic connections, especially when clinical dental access is limited. This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The registration number is NCT00000479.

Deciphering genomic signatures associating human dental oral craniofacial diseases with cardiovascular diseases using machine learning approaches.

OBJECTIVES: Periodontal diseases are chronic, inflammatory disorders that involve the destruction of supporting tissues surrounding the teeth which leads to permanent damage and substantially heightens systemic exposure. If left untreated, dental, oral, and craniofacial diseases (DOCs), especially periodontitis, can increase an individual's risk in developing complex traits including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this study, we are focused on systematically investigating causality between periodontitis with CVDs with the application of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) algorithms, and state-of-the-art bioinformatics approaches using RNA-seq-driven gene expression data of CVD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we built a cohort of CVD patients, collected their blood samples, and performed RNA-seq and gene expression analysis to generate transcriptomic profiles. We proposed a nexus of AI/ML approaches for the identification of significant biomarkers, and predictive analysis. We implemented recursive feature elimination, Pearson correlation, chi-square, and analysis of variance to detect significant biomarkers, and utilized random forest and support vector machines for predictive analysis. RESULTS: Our AI/ML analyses have led us to the preliminary conclusion that GAS5, GPX1, HLA-B, and SNHG6 are the potential gene markers that can be used to explain the causal relationship between periodontitis and CVDs. CONCLUSIONS: CVDs are relatively common in patients with periodontal disease, and an increased risk of CVD is associated with periodontal disease independent of gender. Genetic susceptibility contributing to periodontitis and CVDs have been suggested to some extent, based on the similar degree of heritability shared between both complex diseases.

Oral Health and Brain Health: Cause, Consequence, or Confounding?

Epidemiologic studies of the association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, including stroke, had mixed findings.1 Some studies have found that serum antibodies to major periodontal pathogens are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), suggesting that periodontal infection or the host response to periodontal infection may play a causal role in CHD.1 More recently, longitudinal studies have supported an association of periodontal disease between cognitive decline and dementia.2 The motivation for these studies has been two-fold. First, periodontal disease is known to be associated with systemic inflammation,3 which, in turn, is known to be causally associated with atherosclerotic disease.4 Second, periodontal disease is potentially modifiable in the population. The limitation of all observational epidemiologic studies is the problem of confounding by incompletely measured or unmeasured variables, such as diet, health behaviors including oral hygiene, and the host response to infection. In addition, studies oral health and either cognitive decline or dementia may suffer from reverse causality; cognitive changes may lead to lessened oral hygiene and periodontal disease.

Association between periodontal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Evidence from sequential cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies based on UK Biobank.

AIM: To investigate the association between periodontal diseases, airflow limitation and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a large-scale prospective UK Biobank cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our approach comprised a cross-sectional study and a prospective cohort. Periodontal diseases were determined based on the participants' self-reported dental symptoms, including painful gums, bleeding gums and loose teeth. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of periodontal diseases with airflow limitation and incident COPD in the cross-sectional study and the prospective cohort, respectively. RESULTS: The cross-sectional study involved 495,610 participants. Multivariable analysis found that periodontal diseases were significantly associated with airflow limitation (odds ratio = 1.036, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.015-1.059). The cohort study included 379,266 participants with a median follow-up period of 12.68 years. An elevated risk of incident COPD was associated with the presence of periodontal diseases (hazard ratio: 1.248, 95% CI: 1.174-1.326). The effect was consistent among subgroups, including baseline age (≤65 or >65 years), sex, smoking status and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontal diseases are associated with airflow limitation and elevated COPD incidence. Maintaining good periodontal health in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema may help prevent the onset of COPD.

Hyposalivation and periodontal disease as oral non-articular characteristics in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association among rheumatoid arthritis (RA), saliva production, and periodontal status. METHODS: An observational study was carried out on 103 subjects with RA and 103 without RA matched by sex and age. Rheumatologic evaluation included serological and clinical variables. A full mouth periodontal examination was performed according to the American Academy of Periodontology (1999). Resting and stimulated whole salivary flows were determined after spiting during 5 min. RESULTS: RA was associated with a higher prevalence of severe periodontitis (12% vs. 4%), with a marked reduction in resting and stimulated saliva production, and with a higher prevalence of resting (19% vs. 0%) and also stimulated hyposalivation (54% vs. 10%), compared with the control group. The differences in mean resting and stimulated salivary flows between RA and control groups persisted after the exclusion of people with hyposalivation. Saliva production was not associated with the presence or the severity of periodontal disease, or with the rheumatic clinical characteristics of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: More than 50% of people with RA have some degree of reduction in their salivary flows, an affection not associated with the periodontal status or rheumatic activity, which are the expression of the two related inflammatory diseases. The influence of autonomic dysfunction on hyposalivation can be considered. While periodontitis would be a disease-associated comorbidity of RA, poor saliva production should be included among the extra-articular manifestations. Key Points • Rheumatoid arthritis patients are more prone to suffer from periodontitis and/or hyposalivation. • Periodontal disease is more prevalent in people with rheumatoid arthritis and also an association was found between the severities of both pathologies. • More than 50% of people with RA would have some degree of reduction in their salivary flows, an affection not associated with the periodontal status or rheumatic activity. • Reduced saliva production in rheumatoid arthritis patients should be included among the extra-articular manifestations.

Dental Caries a Risk Factor for Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION: Streptococcus mutans is a known cause of dental caries that contains a collagen-binding protein, Cnm, and exhibits inhibition of platelet aggregation and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activation. This strain has been linked to aggravation of experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and may be a risk factor for ICH. The purpose of this study was to test the association between dental caries and incident ICH. METHODS: The presence of dental caries and periodontal disease was assessed in subjects from the Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (DARIC) study without prior stroke or ICH. This cohort was followed for incident ICH over a period of 10 years. Cox regression was used to compute crude and adjusted hazards ratio from the dental assessment. RESULTS: Among 6,315 subjects, dental surface caries and/or root caries were recorded in 1,338 (27%) subjects. Of those, 7 (0.5%) had incident ICH over a period of 10 years following the visit 4 assessment. Of the remaining 4,977 subjects, 10 (0.2%) had incident ICH. Those with dental caries versus those without dental caries were slightly younger (mean age 62.0 ± 5.7 vs. 62.4 ± 5.6, p = 0.012), had a greater proportion of males (51 vs. 44%, p < 0.001), African Americans (44 vs. 10%, p < 0.001), and were hypertensive (42 vs. 31%, p < 0.001). The association between caries and ICH was significant (crude HR 2.69, 95% CI 1.02-7.06) and strengthened after adjustment for age, gender, race, education level, hypertension, and periodontal disease (adjusted HR 3.88, 95% CI 1.34-11.24). CONCLUSION: Dental caries is a potential risk for incident ICH after caries detection. Future studies are needed to determine if treatment of dental caries can reduce the risk of ICH.

Oral Health and Cardiovascular Disease.

Several studies have examined a potential relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. This article aims to update the evidence for a potential association by summarizing the evidence for causality between periodontitis and comorbidities linked to cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. We additionally discuss the evidence for periodontal therapy as a means to improved management of these comorbidities, with the larger goal of examining the value of periodontal therapy on reduction of cardiovascular disease risk.

Unstable periodontal disease and its association with sleep-disordered breathing.

Periodontal therapy results in successful disease management for some patients, but patients whose periodontal disease cannot be managed with standard-of-care protocols are treated repeatedly without success. For this set of patients, a systemic rather than an oral origin is possible. This clinical study investigated the connection between unresolved periodontal disease and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in 71 patients (44 women and 27 men), aged 19 to 75 years (mean, 45 years), who were enrolled in periodontal maintenance therapy for Stage I or II periodontitis. The results of an at-home sleep testing device served as the basis for evaluating 4 SDB screening tools: Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaire, STOP-Bang questionnaire, and salivary cortisol testing. At-home sleep testing indicated that 33 participants had an apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 5, signifying probable obstructive sleep apnea. A finding of unstable periodontal disease (PBI ≥ 2) was able to identify 21 of these 33 participants, while the ESS and STOP-Bang questionnaires identified only 2 and 6 participants, respectively. The difference between the PBI and both the ESS and STOP-Bang questionnaires was statistically significant (P < 0.05; 2-sample proportion test). There was no relationship between participants' cortisol levels and the PBI findings. This clinical study found a link between unresolved periodontal disease and SDB. The results of this study suggested that the PBI is a reliable, objective means for general dentists to identify SDB in patients with unresolved periodontal disease. Once identified, these patients can be referred for treatment to address their SDB, which may positively impact management of their periodontal disease.

Association between periodontal disease and hypertriglyceridemia: Propensity score matching analysis using the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The prevalence of periodontitis and dyslipidemia continues to increase, and several studies have reported an association between the 2. Therefore, we assessed the relationship between periodontitis and hypertriglyceridemia using propensity score matching to efficiently address confounding factors, as well as complex sample analysis with data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VII (2016-2018). To match the 1:1 ratio between the groups with and without periodontitis, the propensity scores of covariates, such as age, sex, education, income, smoking, drinking, obesity, and diabetes mellitus, were calculated using logistic regression. Both results of logistic regression analysis using complex sample design for whole and matched sample after propensity score matching demonstrated a significant association between hypertriglyceridemia and periodontitis, of which the adjusted odds ratio was 1.28 (95% confidence interval = 1.10-1.50) and 1.29 (95% confidence interval = 1.09-1.52), respectively. Our findings suggest that dental healthcare workers can help raise awareness among patients with periodontitis regarding the association between periodontitis and hypertriglyceridemia, which may help them manage the condition and receive treatment.

Clinical and socio-demographic factors associated with dental extractions in a clinical sample.

The objective of the present study was to identify the reasons for dental extractions in patients seeking dental care in a university dental clinic in Mexico. This is a cross-sectional study that assessed 284 consecutive patients at the School of Dentistry, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico between August 2017 and November 2018. In total, 505 extractions were performed. The dependent variable was the reason for extraction: 0) dental caries and ensuing sequels (reference category); 1) periodontal disease and ensuing sequels; and 2) other reasons. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables were included as independent variables. The analysis was done with multinomial logistic regression (Stata 14.0). Out of all extractions, 63.6% (n=321) were due to dental caries and ensuing sequels; 22.0% (n=111) were due to periodontal disease and ensuing sequels; 5.3% (n=27) endodontic failure; 5.1% (n=26) prosthetic indications; 1.6% (n=8) orthodontic indications; and the rest (2.4%) were due to other reasons. In the multivariate model extractions due to periodontal disease vs dental caries were associated with occasionally smoking tobacco (Odds Ratio, OR=3.90) or daily tobacco use (OR=3.19); the tooth to be extracted having been previously restored (OR=2.35); extracted anterior as opposed to posterior teeth (OR =2.63); and patients with multiple extractions (OR=2.68). In the case of extractions due to "other reasons", no variable was significant. Dental caries and periodontal disease were the main reasons for dental extraction in this sample. Several variables, mostly clinical, were associated with extractions for periodontal reasons.