The additive effect of periodontitis with hypertension on risk of systemic disease and mortality

Aims

Recent evidence suggests that periodontitis causes hypertension, which is a precursor to development of other systemic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of hypertension and periodontitis on the risk of subsequent systemic disease.

Materials and Methods

This longitudinal cohort study included 244,393 UK Biobank participants who were free of systemic disease other than hypertension at baseline. Self-reported responses of painful gums or loose teeth were surrogates for periodontitis. Hypertensives were identified by clinical diagnosis, or elevated blood pressure (> = 140/90 mmHg). Systemic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes were identified from linked diagnostic codes. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to quantify the risk of systemic diseases and all-cause mortality, stratified by hypertensive and periodontitis status.

Results

The average age of the study population was 55.4 (standard deviation[SD:] 8.1) years, and 130,220 (53.3%) participants were female. At baseline, 131,566 (53.8%) participants were hypertensive and 4.5% reported periodontitis. The incidence rates of all systemic diseases were higher in hypertensive than non-hypertensive participants of the same periodontitis status. In hypertensives, an additive effect was observed for periodontitis on the risks of cardiovascular disease (adjusted hazard ratio[HR]: 1.35, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.21-1.53) and respiratory disease (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.95-1.30) compared to hypertensive healthy controls.

Conclusion(s)

Hypertensives with periodontitis have exacerbated risks of several systemic diseases. Future interventional studies should consider the effect of periodontal treatment on systemic outcomes in targeted hypertensive populations.