Nicky Beukers carried out large-scale epidemiological research into the medical history of more than 60,000 patients at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). Her research examined the link between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease.
About 50% of people have some form of periodontitis, or gum disease, of which about 10 to 15% have a more serious variant. Gum disease is not usually painful during its onset. The obvious signs of gum disease include bleeding, redness, swollen gums and loose teeth. An association between gum disease and cardiovascular disease has been established in some modestly sized studies (<10 000), but rarely has it been studied directly.
These results of this large-scale study show that a person with periodontitis is 1.6 times more likely to have cardiovascular disease than a person without periodontitis. This shows an association between the two diseases, indicating that people who have periodontitis more often than not also have cardiovascular disease. Since the study is not longitudinal in scope, no statement can be made about causality (cause-effect).
Follow-up research should provide insight into whether gum disease plays a role in causing cardiovascular disease and whether it is therefore a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is also of interest if follow-up research can actually demonstrate whether the treatment of periodontitis can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.