Relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease

Date of submission: 14 July 2020, Date of acceptance: 20 Sep. 2020 In Iran, as in most countries of the world, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been the leading cause of death in recent years and have replaced infectious diseases.1,2 According to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) statistics, Iran has one of the highest rates of CVDs in the world and there is not much difference between genders and between rural or urban individuals, and even recently, the prevalence of the disease in young people has increased drastically.2 Due to the increasing age of the Iranian population, it is expected that the prevalence of these diseases will increase over the next decade, and hence, they should be paid more attention.1 On the other hand, several studies have shown that periodontal diseases are very common in Iran, however they are preventable and treatable.3 These diseases are caused by inflammation of the gums due to chronic microbial infection in the tissues around the teeth, which leads to inflammation and destruction of the gums and protective tissues of the teeth, finally damaging the teeth.4 Considering that atherosclerosis, the most important cause of CVDs, is the result of a disorder in metabolism and accumulation of the cholesterol due to inflammation, it has been hypothesized for years that there may be a link between gingivitis and its circulatory inflammatory mediators entering the bloodstream, to the development of atherosclerosis, and several studies have been conducted and are ongoing.4,5 Currently, there is a consensus that both diseases are multifactorial and many risk factors are common between them, such as smoking, diabetes, addiction, old age, etc.5 Although some studies have not found a direct link between periodontal disease and CVDs, several meta-analyses have confirmed that there may be a link between the prevention and treatment of oral diseases and reducing the risk of CVDs.3,4,6 Therefore, in addition to conducting clinical trials in our country on this issue, it is recommended that appropriate planning be conducted by health officials and health care providers to avoid die pressure caused by die burden and treatment costs of CVDs in coming years. Towards integration with chronic disease prevention and control. D'Isidoro O, Perrotti V, Hui WL, Piattelli A, Iaculli F, Quaranta A. The impact of non-surgical therapy of periodontal disease on surrogate markers for cardiovascular disease: A literature review.