Will Periodontal Treatment Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke?

Article Title and Bibliographic InformationPeriodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease: does the evidence support an independent association?: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Lockhart PB, Bolger AF, Papapanou PN, Osinbowale O, Trevisan M, Levison ME, et al; on behalf of the American Heart Association Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease, and Council on Clinical Cardiology.Circulation 2012;125:2520-44.ReviewerAnwar T. Merchant, ScD, MPH, DMDPurpose/QuestionTo assess whether evidence supported the hypotheses (1) that periodontal disease (PD) and atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) are independently associated, and (2) that treatment of PD impacts ASVD riskSource of FundingNon-profit: The American Heart Association published this scientific statement, which was endorsed by the American Dental Association and the World Heart FederationType of Study/DesignSystematic reviewLevel of EvidenceLevel 2: Limited-quality patient-oriented evidenceStrength of Recommendation GradeGrade C: Consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series for studies of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or screening