Oral health and cardiovascular disease
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14748/txc3br27Keywords:
heart failure, arterial hypertension, inflammation, risk factors, Porphyromonas gingivalis, periodontitis, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseaseAbstract
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 16% of the population's mortality is due to cardiovascular diseases worldwide, coronary artery disease being the predominant type. Cardiovascular diseases create social, economic and medical issues in many countries, which requires the urgent development of primary and secondary prevention programs. The main risk factors for coronary artery disease are well-known and the leading causal relationship is well-studied. Another leading healthcare problem worldwide is oral health. There is a number of studies that investigate the potential relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases. Periodontitis affects a large portion of the population, especially adults over 35 years. Worldwide, over 70% of the adults show some form of periodontal disease. When examining cardiovascular disease and periodontitis, similarities are found in the etiology, the common risk factors, as well as in the pathogenic mechanism. Chronic inflammation is a basis for both.
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