Affiliation:
1. Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of
Dental Medicine;
2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677
Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
3. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health;
4. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health; and
5. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
and Brigham and Women’s Hospital;
Abstract
Periodontal disease is a chronic infection of the gums characterized by a loss of attachment between the tooth and bone, and by bone loss. We evaluated cross-sectionally the association between periodontal disease and C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, factor VII, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), LDL-C, von Willebrand factor, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2. The final sample consisted of 468 men (ages 47–80 yrs), participating in the Health Professional Follow-up Study, who provided blood and were free of CVD, diabetes, and cancer. In multivariate regression models controlling for age, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and aspirin intake, self-reported periodontal disease was associated with significantly higher levels of CRP (30% higher among periodontal cases compared with non-cases), t-PA (11% higher), and LDL-C (11% higher). Based on our data, periodontal disease showed significant associations with biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and dyslipidemia, which may potentially mediate the association between periodontal and cardiovascular disease.