Periodontitis as risk factor for acute myocardial infarction: A case control study

OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to determine, in a case-control study of a Spanish population, whether periodontitis is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND Although part of cardiovascular risk could be explained by periodontal disease, available meta-analyses find significant heterogeneity and recommend the need for further observational and intervention studies. METHODS A case-control study was conducted of 149 Spanish patients aged between 40 and 75 years, with 72 cases (acute myocardial infarction) and 77 controls (trauma patients). Periodontitis was measured as the percentage of sites with clinical attachment loss greater than 3 mm. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to estimate the adjusted effect of periodontitis on acute myocardial infarction, after considering the potential confounding effect of a large pool of risk factors. RESULTS In a bivariate analysis, males, older patients, smokers, and those with hypertension, diabetes or hypercholesterolemia, showed an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction. The cases, compared to controls, showed worse results for all periodontal variables studied: gingival retraction, pocket depth, and periodontitis. The final multiple logistic model included sex, age, tobacco habit, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, regular exercise, and periodontitis. The association between periodontitis (dichotomized) and acute myocardial infarction was high and significant in both the unadjusted (odds ratio = 4.42, p < 0.001) and adjusted analyses (odds ratio = 3.31, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION There is evidence of an association between periodontitis and acute myocardial infarction after adjusting for well-known risk factors for acute myocardial infarction.