Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a major component of the cardiovascular diseases and is centered by inflammation but its well-known predictors do not explain some of the atherosclerotic vascular disease events, generating the need to look for independent additional risk factors. Periodontitis, a chronic infection produced by oral bacteria and affecting the supporting structures of the teeth, seems to be linked with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease through several mechanisms, like genetic susceptibility, systemic inflammation, infection, and the molecular mimicry, the association being worsened in the presence of diabetes. The epidemiological studies revealed a modest but significant association between periodontal infections and cardiovascular disease, independent of the effect of confounding factors, but the definite effect of periodontitis and its treatment on the incidence of cardiovascular events requires further clarifications.