Association Between Porphyromonas Gingivalis in Subgingival Plaque and Coronary Artery Disease: A Case–Control Study Publisher Pubmed

Summary: Does gum disease cause heart issues? Study finds no link between P. gingivalis and CAD. #Periodontitis #CoronaryArteryDisease

Maboudi A^{1, 2} ; Eidi M³ ; Lotfizadeh A⁴ ; Heidari M⁵ ; Rafiei A⁶ ; Nabati M⁷ ; Moosazadeh M⁸ ; Valadan R⁶ ; Kardan M^{9, 10} ; Jabbareh L^{1, 2}
Source: Dental and Medical Problems Published:2024

Abstract

Background. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the supporting tissue surrounding the teeth. The disease is caused by specific bacteria, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, which lead to the destruction of periodontal ligaments and alveolar bone. Objectives. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the prevalence of P. gingivalis in subgin-gival plaque and coronary artery disease (CAD). Material and methods. Fifty patients with CAD and 50 healthy controls (non-CAD) participated in this case–control study. The periodontal health in the groups was evaluated through the assessment of the pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL) and bleeding on probing (BoP). The presence of P. gingivalis in subgingival plaque samples was determined through real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The data was analyzed using the χ2 test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results. The mean PD was 3.30 ±1.55 mm and 3.56 ±0.97 mm in CAD patients and non-CAD sub-jects, respectively (p = 0.028). No significant differences were observed in the CAL (p = 0.858) and BoP (p = 1.000) between the groups. The RT-PCR results revealed the presence of P. gingivalis 16S rDNA in 32% and 22% of the subgingival plaque of patients with CAD and non-CAD, respectively, with a mean concentration of 7.7 × 106. No statistically significant association was observed between the prevalence of P. gingivalis and CAD (p = 0.260). The results of the multiple logistic regression analysis showed an association between CAD and male sex (p = 0.004, odds ratio (OR): 4.163), as well as age (p = 0.011, OR: 1.067). Conclusions. The findings of this study indicated that there is no statistically significant correlation between the prevalence of P. gingivalis in subgingival plaque and CAD. © 2024, Wroclaw University of Medicine. All rights reserved.