Invasive Dental Treatment and Risk for a First Myocardial Infarction.

Invasive dental treatment is suggested to be associated with an increased risk for the development of cardiovascular events. We tested the hypothesis that the incidence of a first myocardial infarction (MI) within 4 wk after invasive dental treatments is increased. A registry-based case-control study within nationwide health care and population registries in Sweden was performed. The case patients included 51,880 individuals with a first fatal or nonfatal MI between January 2011 and December 2013. For each case, 5 control subjects, free from prior MI and matched for age, sex, and geographic area of residence, were randomly selected from the national population registry through risk set sampling with replacement, resulting in 246,978 control subjects. Information on dental treatments was obtained from the Dental Health Register, and the procedures were categorized into invasive dental treatments or other dental treatments. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for MI with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In addition to the matching variables, adjustments were made for the following confounders: diabetes, previous cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD drug treatment, education, and income. The mean age for case patients and controls subjects was 72.6 ± 13.0 y and 72.3 ± 13.0 y, respectively. Case patients more often had previous CVD (49% vs. 23%; P < 0.001) and diabetes (19% vs. 11%; P < 0.001) and received more treatment with CVD drugs (68% vs. 56%; P < 0.001) than control subjects. There was no association between invasive dental treatments during the 4 wk preceding the MI index date (crude OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.06; adjusted for confounders OR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.06). This study did not support the hypothesis of an increased incidence of MI after recent invasive dental treatment.

Severe Periodontitis Is Associated with Myocardial Infarction in Females.

The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that there is a sex difference in the association between periodontitis (PD) and a first myocardial infarction (MI). The analysis in the case-control study was based on 785 patients (147 females and 638 males) with a first MI and 792 matched controls (147 females and 645 males), screened for cardiovascular risk factors and subjected to a panoramic dental X-ray. Periodontal status was defined by alveolar bone loss and diagnosed as no PD (≥80% remaining alveolar bone), mild to moderate PD (66% to 79%), or severe PD (<66%). Logistic regression was used when analyzing PD as a risk factor for MI, adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, education, and marital status. The mean age was 64 ± 7 y for females and 62 ± 8 y for males. Severe PD was more common in female patients than female controls (14 vs. 4%, P = 0.005), with an increased risk for severe PD among female patients with a first MI (odds ratio [OR] = 3.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.53 to 10.00, P = 0.005), which remained (OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.24 to 11.16, P = 0.005) after adjustments. Male patients had more severe PD (7% vs. 4%; P = 0.005) than male controls and an increased risk for severe PD (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.14 to 3.11, P = 0.005), but this association did not remain following adjustment (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 0.97 to 2.84, NS). Severe PD was associated with MI in both females and males. After adjustments for relevant confounders, this association did, however, remain only in females. These data underline the importance of considering poor dental health when evaluating cardiovascular risk, especially in females.