The relationship among periodontal condition, serum lipid, and electrocardiographic abnormalities in the elderly: A prospective cohort study

Periodontal disease is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some studies have suggested that serum lipids might play a role in the association between periodontal disease and CVD. However, this hypothesis remains unproven. Present study evaluated the association between periodontal disease and CVD-related parameters including electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters and serum lipid levels in the elderly. This study was a prospective cohort study. A total of 107 subjects (57 males and 50 females) from Niigata City’s community-dwelling elderly (all aged 75 years old) who possessed at least 20 teeth and did not exhibit ECG abnormalities at the baseline underwent annual examinations for 5 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between periodontal condition and the presence of ECG abnormalities, after adjusting for confounding factors including serum lipid levels. Logistic regression analysis showed that the subjects who exhibited a poor periodontal condition at the baseline had a 2.97 times greater risk of suffering from ECG abnormalities than the subjects who displayed a good periodontal condition at the baseline (p = 0.019). Furthermore, the subjects who displayed a poor periodontal condition and an unfavorable serum lipid profile at the baseline showed a significantly higher frequency of ECG abnormalities (63.6%) than those who exhibited a healthy periodontal condition and a favorable serum lipid profile (21.6%, p = 0.008) as well as those who displayed a healthy periodontal condition and an unfavorable serum lipid profile (21.4%, p = 0.010). As a conclusion, periodontal condition could be a marker of CVD, even in the healthy elderly.