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Association between body weight and periodontal infection.

Ylöstalo P, Suominen-Taipale L, Reunanen A, Knuuttila M

Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. pekka.ylostalo@ oulu.fi

BACKGROUND: Besides being a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and type II diabetes, obesity has been suggested to be a risk factor for periodontitis. A number of epidemiological studies have studied the association between obesity and periodontitis, but the results have been partly inconclusive. The aim of this study was to examine the association of body weight with periodontal infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The association between body weight and periodontal infection was examined using a nationally representative Health 2000 Health Examination Survey. The study was based on a subpopulation of dentate non-diabetic subjects aged 30-49 (n=2841). Periodontal infection was measured by the number of teeth with periodontal pockets of 4 mm or deeper and 6 mm or deeper. Body weight was measured using body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: We detected a weak exposure-response association of BMI with teeth with deepened periodontal pockets after controlling for smoking habits by restricting the sample to subjects who have never smoked and for other potential confounders by including them in the multivariate models. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed an association between body weight and periodontal infection among the non-diabetic, non-smoking population aged 30-49. Additional research is needed to determine the nature of this association.

Published 20 March 2008 in J Clin Periodontol, 35(4): 297-304.
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