Study
finds link between sleep apnea, perio disease
December
11, 2012 -- A new study in the Journal of Periodontal Research (November 30, 2012) has
found a significant association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and
periodontal disease, although further research is needed to clarify the causal
relationship between the two conditions, according to the authors.
The
cross-sectional study included 687 participants (460 men, 227 women; ages
47-77) who were examined between August 2009 and September 2010 as part of the
Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study.
The
participants underwent standard polysomnography,
clinical periodontal examination, and health screening examinations. Periodontitis was defined as a clinical attachment level (
The
results showed that 17.5% of the participants had periodontitis,
46.6% had OSA, and 60.0% who were diagnosed with periodontitis
had OSA. OSA was positively associated with periodontitis,
probing pocket depth, and
"In
our study, old age, male gender, current smoking status, mouth breathing during
sleep, and high AHI were identified as risk factors for periodontitis,"
they wrote.