Abstract:
Previous studies suggest that periodontitis may be associated with an increasing risk of hypertension. However, data from large epidemiological studies are limited. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between periodontitis and hypertension using data from a cohort study in a Thai population. The study population comprised of 1,378 employees of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), aged 53 to 73 years old, were categorized into no/mild, moderate, or severe periodontitis groups. Hypertension was determined as having systolic blood pressure 140 mmHg or more or diastolic blood pressure 90 mmHg or more, or taking antihypertensive medication. The results of multivariate analysis, after adjusting confounders including age, gender, education level, diabetes mellitus, smoking status, alcohol consumption, frequency of exercise, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia, there was a significant association between severe periodontitis and hypertension with an odds ratio of 1.55 (95% CI: 1.03-2.33; P = 0.035). In conclusion, severe periodontitis was associated with an increasing risk of hypertension in this group of Thai adults. However, further longitudinal epidemiological studies are needed.
