Correlation between oral health and atherosclerosis

YU Wenqian; LI Hailing; GAO Peiyi; LIU Haixia

Abstract：Objective To detect the correlation between oral health and aorta calcifications .Methods 180 patients under-went thorax multi-detector row CT were divided into three groups based on the score of the aortic arch calcification :the the severe calcification group(the calcification score 100), the slight calcification group(the calcification score <100) and the normal con-trol group(the calcification score=0).The data referred to oral health and periodontal status were compared between groups using the measurements of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) and the periodontal disease index (PDI).Results Useing the 64-slice spiral CT technique , the aortic arch calcification can be displayed clearly .The DMFT indices and the periodontal indices were all significantly higher in the case group than those in the control ( P <0.001).Furthermore,the severity of the oral disease was positively correlated with the severity of aortic arch calcifications .Conclusion The result suggests that oral health is highly correlated with aortic atherosclerosis .Chronic inflammation may be as a common factor causing periodontitis and atherosclerosis .