Periodontitis in individuals with few remaining teeth and a high gingival bleeding index increases the probability of dyslipidemia

Background: Dyslipidemia, a silent multifactorial condition, is characterized by changes in blood lipid levels, affecting all socioeconomic strata, increasing the risk for atherosclerotic diseases. This study investigated whether there is an association between dyslipidemia and the combined exposure of periodontitis plus the number of remaining teeth, gingival bleeding, or caries.

Methods: A two-center cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1270 individuals, with a minimum age of 18 years. Socioeconomic and demographic data, health conditions, lifestyle parameters, and anthropometric, biochemical, and oral clinical examinations were performed. The exposures considered were the presence of periodontitis, dental caries, number of remaining teeth, and gingival bleeding. The outcome was dyslipidemia as defined by the Brazilian Guidelines on Dyslipidemia and Prevention of Atherosclerosis. The combined associations between periodontitis plus other oral health conditions and dyslipidemia were estimated using confounder-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR_single , PR_multiple , for single and multiple covariable adjustments) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), in a Poisson regression model with robust variance.

Results: The occurrence of dyslipidemia was 70.1% and periodontitis was 84.1%. A positive association between periodontitis and dyslipidemia existed: PR_single = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01-1.26. Combined exposure of periodontitis plus <11 remaining teeth (PR_multiple = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.05-1.43), as well as combined exposure of periodontitis plus ≥10% gingival bleeding and <11 remaining teeth (PR_multiple = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03-1.44), represented greater probabilities of 23% and 22% of individuals having a diagnosis of dyslipidemia.

Conclusion: Periodontitis combined with fewer than 11 teeth doubled the likelihood of being diagnosed with dyslipidemia.