Search

Aim: To evaluate the association between leisure‐time/occupational physical activity (LTPA/OPA) and periodontitis in a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population. Materials and Methods: Data from 10,679 adults were retrieved from NHANES 2009–2014 database. Physical activity was assessed through the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, and accordingly, subjects were classified as performing either high or low LTPA/OPA. Periodontal status was assessed through a full‐mouth periodontal examination, and subjects were classified according to the AAP/CDC criteria (no, mild, moderate, or severe periodontitis). Simple and multiple regression analyses were applied to study the association between LTPA/OPA and periodontitis/severe periodontitis. Results: Multiple regression analyses identified high LTPA as a protective indicator for periodontitis (odds ratio [OR] = 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72–0.92), while high OPA was found to be a significant risk indicator (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.04–1.30). The combination low LTPA/high OPA showed a cumulative independent association with periodontitis (OR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.26–1.72). Moreover, both high LTPA (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.58–0.90) and high OPA (OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.09–1.53) were significantly associated with stronger estimates of severe periodontitis; the same was observed for the combination of low LTPA/high OPA (OR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.29–2.15). Conclusions: LTPA and OPA showed divergent associations with periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study the epidemiological association between periodontitis and low cognitive performance among older adults, within a representative sample of the U.S. population. Materials and Methods: Data from 2086 older adults (≥60 years old), representative of 77.1 million people, were retrieved from the NHANES 2011‐2014 database. Periodontitis cases were identified and classified according to the AAP/CDC criteria (mild, moderate, and severe). Cognitive function was assessed through the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD), the animal fluency test (AFT), the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), and the global cognition score. The lowest non‐survey weighted quartile for each cognitive test was defined as low cognitive performance. Simple and multiple regression analyses were performed. Results: Moderate and severe periodontitis were significantly associated with a low DSST performance (OR = 1.66 and OR = 2.97, respectively). Each millimetre increase in mean CAL was associated with a lower AFT (OR = 1.44), DSST (OR = 1.86), and global cognition (OR = 1.50) performance. Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest the existence of an independent association between periodontitis and low cognitive performance among older adults (≥60 years old). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]