Dental infections and atherosclerosis

In most countries, coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of m orbidity and death. This report reviews the current evidence indicating tha t oral conditions (specifically periodontitis) may be a risk factor for ath erosclerosis and its clinical manifestations and provides new preliminary d ata. This review is done in the context of the research indicating that inf lammation plays a central role in atherogenesis and that there is a substan tial systemic microbial and inflammatory burden associated with periodontal disease. Our review concentrates on 5 longitudinal studies that show oral conditions being associated with the onset of coronary heart disease while controlling for a variety of established coronary heart disease risk factor s. In addition to published evidence, preliminary Findings from our Dental Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study also indicate that periodontal di sease is associated with carotid intimal-medial wall thickness, a measure o f subclinical atherosclerosis, adjusting for factors known to be associated with both conditions.