Periodontal Health and Cardiovascular Disease Interactions

Periodontal disease, characterised by chronic infection and inflammation of the supporting structures of the teeth, has emerged as a significant modifier of cardiovascular risk. Pathogenic bacteria from diseased periodontal pockets can enter the bloodstream, triggering endothelial dysfunction and activating systemic inflammatory pathways central to atheroma development. Elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, including interleukins and C-reactive protein, promote adhesion molecule expression on vascular endothelium and facilitate lipid infiltration into arterial walls. Moreover, analyses of atherosclerotic plaques have repeatedly detected DNA from periodontal pathogens, implicating direct microbial involvement in plaque progression and instability. The interplay between oral microbial dysbiosis and vascular inflammation underscores the importance of integrated management strategies: maintaining periodontal health may mitigate systemic inflammation and reduce the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events on a global scale.

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Periodontal Health and Cardiovascular Disease Interactions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in periodontal health and cardiovascular disease interactions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Periodontitis: A chronic inflammatory condition of the tooth-supporting tissues, marked by gingival inflammation, periodontal pocketing and bone resorption.

Atherosclerosis: A vascular disorder involving lipid deposition and inflammatory cell infiltration in arterial walls, leading to plaque formation and lumen narrowing.

Systemic inflammation: A body-wide immune activation characterised by elevated circulating inflammatory mediators that contribute to tissue damage and disease progression.

C-reactive protein (CRP): An acute-phase protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation, commonly used as a biomarker of cardiovascular risk.

Oral microbiome: The diverse community of microorganisms residing in the oral cavity, whose compositional shifts can affect both local and systemic health.

References

1. Periodontitis is associated with stroke. Journal of Translational Medicine (2023).
2. Multikingdom oral microbiome interactions in early-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke. ISME Communications (2024).
3. Association Between Periodontal Disease and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases: Revisited. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (2021).
4. Presence of Periodontopathic Bacteria DNA in Atheromatous Plaques from Coronary and Carotid Arteries. BioMed Research International (2015).