Oral Health in Adults: Social Gradients and Correlation With Cardiovascular Health

Plain-language summary

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising in prevalence because of aging, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, and common NCDs are caries and periodontitis (here oral diseases) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Association between oral diseases and CVD has been observed in epidemiological studies, and suggested mechanisms include transfer of oral pathogen bacteria and pro-inflammatory mediators to other organs triggering immune response and systemic inflammation. Circulating mediators may initiate a response in the liver with production of C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and increased tryptophan degradation, that contribute to CV inflammation and atherosclerosis. We have demonstrated that higher serum levels of these markers are associated with presence of hypertension and obesity and with higher risk of CVD. However, CVD and oral diseases also share many of the same risk factors, including hypertension, obesity, diabetes and smoking. Since the association of oral disease with CV risk factors mostly has been demonstrated in cross-sectional studies, the direction has not been ascertained. These CVD risk factors lead to changes in the heart and arteries (preclinical CVD); more harmful in women than men. If these conditions can impact development of oral diseases is not been investigated in large studies. Socio-economic inequalities have been reported for oral diseases and are linked to low socio-economic status (SES). It is unknown whether CV health and SES in midlife may impact prevalence of oral diseases later in life. It is also unknown if the oral microbiome differ by periodontitis severity and can be associated with inflammatory biomarkers, CV risk factors and preclinical CVD. The project will be performed in adults approaching the retirement age in Vestland county. We will combine their data from the ongoing Hordaland Oral Health Survey with their data from three surveys in the longitudinal Hordaland Health Study performed in the period 1992-2020.

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