Cross-sectional study on the association of periodontitis with arterial hypertension in the Hamburg City Health Study

Aim: Aim of this study was to investigate the association between periodontitis and arterial hypertension, both of which show correlations with classical cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory activity. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analysis of data from a large population-based health survey (the Hamburg City Health Study, HCHS) including 5934 participants with complete periodontal examination and blood pressure data, of whom 5735 had medical records regarding anti-hypertensive medication, was performed. Probing depths, gingival recessions, bleeding on probing (BOP), dental plaque, and decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) indices were recorded as measures of oral health. Clinical attachment loss (CAL) per tooth was calculated and periodontitis was staged into three groups (no/mild, moderate, severe). Arterial hypertension was diagnosed based on the participants’ medication history and systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. Logistic regression models were constructed accounting for a set of potential confounders (age, sex, smoking, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, educational level, alcohol intake) and high sensitivity-C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Results: The odds of arterial hypertension increased significantly along with periodontitis severity (OR for severe periodontitis: 2.19; 95% CI 1.85–2.59; p< 0.001; OR for moderate periodontitis: 1.65; 95% CI 1.45–1.87; p< 0.001). Participants with moderate or severe periodontitis also had significantly higher age- and sex-adjusted odds of arterial hypertension, which was slightly weakened when additionally adjusted for BMI, diabetes, smoking, educational level, and alcohol intake (OR for severe PD: 1.28, 95% CI 1.04–1.59, p= 0.02; OR for moderate PD: 1.30, 95% CI 1.11–1.52, p= 0.001). The fraction of participants with undertreated hypertension (untreated and poorly controlled hypertension) was considerably larger in participants with severe periodontitis than in those with no/mild periodontitis (50.1% vs. 37.4% for no/mild periodontitis). Conclusions: The study shows an association between periodontitis and arterial hypertension that is independent of age, sex, diabetes, BMI, smoking, educational level, and alcohol intake. In addition, undertreatment of hypertension was more common in people with severe periodontitis compared with periodontally more healthy people.