Periodontal Disease links to other diseases

Is it possible for periodontal disease to be linked to other diseases that can occur within the body? Scientific studies have shown that there is a common link between periodontal disease and the presence of cardiovascular disease as well as cerebral vascular disease. The link is very apparent in the occurrence of cerebral vascular disease (stroke). There is however, not as much as a relationship between coronary artery disease and periodontal disease. While the link is not as apparent with coronary artery disease, studies are being done to further test the relationship between these two diseases.

There are many factors that seem to effect these diseases. Some of these factors can be environmental and genetic factors, as well as risks that people take such as smoking, obesity, and exposure to tobacco. There was one study done that involved over 4,000 people and spanned over 17 years which showed no evidence of a decreased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke if severe periodontitis was eliminated. This study showed that there was no clear conclusion that either disease was instrumental in causing one another. With that being said, there have been past studies that have shown that periodontal disease increases the risk factor for the these other diseases to happen.

The numbers from the study show that people that have a severe periodontal disease increase their chances by 24% to 35% to be more likely to have coronary artery disease. This could mean that people that have periodontal bone destruction may be at a greater risk for vascular diseases. This test does not infer that if you have periodontal disease that you will get coronary artery disease, but it does mean that you might be much more susceptible to it.

Even though there does appear to be a link between coronary artery disease and periodontal disease, there has not been a proven causal relationship found. Cardiovascular disease involved the lining of the blood vessels to be damages by plaque buildup within the veins. What is interesting is that the treating of periodontal disease does appear to improve the endothelial function of the veins in your body. While research is pointing to this cause and effect, there is still no definitive outcome as far as this reversing the effects of cardiovascular disease.

As you can see, periodontal disease does have some interesting relationships with other diseases, but while some relationships appear to exist, no concrete evidence has been uncovered up to this point. What has been shown is that by having periodontal disease, a person may be more susceptible to these other damaging diseases.

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