Periodontal disease and systemic diseases in an older population

ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between older adults’ medical and oral conditions and their self-reports of periodontal conditions with clinically obtained data.BackgroundConcerns about oral health of elders and its association with systemic diseases have been gaining more attention.MethodsA total of 201 older subjects were interviewed about their previous medical and dental histories and were asked to complete a health questionnaire. Each subject received full mouth exam, including counting number of natural teeth remaining, gingival (GI) and plaque index (PI), CPITN and denture status.ResultsElders who completed health questionnaires had mean age of 62.5. Mean CPITN score was 1.62(±1.12), PI was 1.57(±1.48), and GI was 1.55(±1.31). Women had higher prevalence of CVD and osteoporosis than men (p = 0.008, p = 0.0001, respectively). Subjects who reported bleeding upon brushing had higher PI and GI scores (p = 0.03, p = 0.05, respectively). Smokers were more likely to describe their periodontal tissues as unhealthy (72.3% vs. 27.7%, p = 0.01), whereas self-reports of healthy vs. unhealthy gums did not differ between non-smokers.ConclusionThese findings suggest that a number of systemic conditions are associated with indicators of periodontal disease, and self-reports of oral conditions are independent of systemic diseases.