Longitudinal Relationship Between Metabolic Syndrome and Periodontal Disease Among Japanese Adults Aged ≥70 Years: The Niigata Study

Background: There has been little evaluation in longitudinal epidemiologic studies of the effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on periodontal status. The specific aim of this longitudinal study is to investigate whether MetS in the Japanese population could be a risk factor for periodontal disease. Methods: A total of 125 older adults from Japan for whom data were available for the years 2003 to 2006 were selected for the current study. Full‐mouth periodontal status, measured as clinical attachment level (CAL), was recorded at baseline and in follow‐up examinations. Development of periodontal disease was considered to be ≥2 teeth demonstrating a longitudinal loss of proximal attachment of ≥3 mm at the follow‐up dental examination. A multivariable Poisson regression model with robust error variance was used to evaluate the association of MetS defined by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria with development of periodontal disease. Adjustments for sex, income, education, smoking status, number of teeth at baseline, mean CAL at baseline, pattern of visits to a dentist, and brushing frequency were considered. Results: The prevalence of MetS was 21.6% (27/125). Study participants with MetS were approximately 2.6 times more likely to develop periodontal disease (adjusted relative risk 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 5.67) after simultaneous adjustment for other covariates. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that MetS may be a risk factor for periodontal disease in older Japanese individuals. Additional studies with larger, more diverse populations and more complete information are needed to substantiate the findings.