Association of dental caries in the era of COVID-19 with the number of occluded coronary vessels: A non-traditional risk factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Background: Dental caries and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are prevalent chronic multifactorial disorders with several etiopathological risk factors. This study aims to assess the association between carious teeth and the number of coronary arteries identified by angiography among ACS patients. Material and Methods: 118 patients with ACS were evaluated clinically by cardiologists. Participants’ dental hygiene was assessed using the DMFT index. Before having their coronary angiography evaluated, all individuals had their urea, creatinine, and troponin serum levels checked. Echocardiography was also done. The relationship between the DMFT scoring index and echocardiographic and angiographic data was examined. Results: All subjects studied had poor dental health overall (13.7±9.8), and their mean ages were 57.2±10.2 years. There were 118 participants in this study, and males made up 77.1% of the group. The majority of ACS (60.7%) had a high DMFT score (DMFT > 9), which in most cases indicated a significant number of missing teeth (10.9±8.9). Around half of the patients had poor carious status (DMFT > 10). The DMFT index and LVEF% measurements had non-significant positive relationships. According to the ROC curve, DMFT and its components lacked the diagnostic capacity to distinguish participants with one occluded coronary artery from ACS patients affected by multiple coronary arteries. Conclusion: Although it cannot be used to predict the severity of the ACS, oral hygiene regarding dental status is related to the number of stenosed coronary arteries (but not LVEF%).