Periodontitis Increases the Risk of a First Myocardial Infarction

Background—The relationship between periodontitis (PD) and cardiovascular disease is debated. PD is common in patients with cardiovascular disease. It has been postulated that PD could be causally related to the risk for cardiovascular disease, a hypothesis tested in the Periodontitis and Its Relation to Coronary Artery Disease (PAROKRANK) study. Methods and Results—Eight hundred five patients (u003c75 years of age) with a first myocardial infarction (MI) and 805 age- (mean 62±8), sex- (male 81%), and area-matched controls without MI underwent standardized dental examination including panoramic x-ray. The periodontal status was defined as healthy (≥80% remaining bone) or as mild-moderate (from 79% to 66%) or severe PD (u003c66%). Great efforts were made to collect information on possibly related confounders (≈100 variables). Statistical comparisons included the Student pairwise t test and the McNemar test in 2×2 contingency tables. Contingency tables exceeding 2×2 with ranked alternatives were tested by Wilcoxon ...