Relationship between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease within three hospitals in Cameroon

Abstract

Introduction: The periodontal disease is a multifactorial inflammatory pathology developing in permissive hosts. It is often found in individuals with a history of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease. Numerous studies around the world have considered the possible relationship between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease. The purpose of our study was to investigate a possible link between periodontal disease and acute coronary syndrome.

Methodology: This was a comparative cross-sectional study. The periodontal status of subjects aged 21 and above, suffering from acute coronary syndrome was compared with that of subjects in apparent good health. The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome was made by a cardiologist following the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology.

Results: The study population consisted of 105 subjects divided into two groups; one target group referred to as cases with 34 subjects and another, called control including 71 subjects. Our results showed that the periodontal status of the cases was more impaired. The average plaque index was higher in the cases, 1.1 ± 0.5 versus 0.7 ± 0.4 in the controls (P=0.001). Average bleeding index was also higher in the cases, 0.6 ± 0.5 versus 0.1 ± 0.1 in the controls (P=0.001). The average loss of attachment was 1.4 ± 1.3 for the cases versus 0.5 ± 0.3 for the controls (P=0.002).

Conclusion: At the end of our study, our results establish a relationship between periodontal disease and coronary heart disease.

Keywords: coronary disease , periodontal disease , Yaounde , Cameroon