In April, 2012 the American Heart Association (AHA) published a scientific statement in the journal Circulation that offered an extensive literature review of the evidence on the relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD).(1) The conclusion was that strong evidence supports an association between the two, but not causation. Soon after, the AHA and the American Dental Association (ADA) published press releases that stated that there may be “no proof” to connect the two diseases, which confused the profession and the public.(2,3) While a cause-and-effect relationship between oral health and heart health has not been proven, research has indicated that the two are associated and that periodontal disease may increase the risk of CVD in some patients.
Oral health professionals are in a daily position to educate patients about the relationship between systemic diseases and periodontal disease, and to mitigate confusion caused by the AHA's statement and press releases, which were not incorrect but highlighted specific aspects of the research. A new article sponsored by Colgate does a wonderful job of explaining the types of evidence, association and causations, and evaluation research results. Practical applications are also discussed.(5)
In summary, we do know that there is an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease. Studies have not proved that periodontal disease is a cause of atherosclerotic vascular disease. As well, it is not confirmed that heart disease or stroke can be prevented, or the clinical course of atherosclerotic vascular disease modified, by therapeutic periodontal interventions.(4) Stay tuned!
Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS
To read previous RDH eVillage FOCUS articles by Maria Perno Goldie, go to articles.
