Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Periodontal Disease

Metabolic syndrome is composed of interrelated cardiovascular and cardiometabolic risk factors. Moreover, recent researches have illustrated the association of systemic diseases and periodontitis. Thus, the early diagnosis of this syndrome, as a cardiometabolic risk factor, seems necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with periodontal disease. In this cross-sectional study, 900 subjects from the data bank of the Kerman Coronary Artery Disease Risk Study (KERCADRS), Iran, were assessed. The community periodontal index (CPI) was used as the evaluation tool for periodontal treatment needs and health condition. The control group consisted of healthy individuals. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with periodontal disease was significantly higher than the healthy group (53.6% vs. 33.1%, P < 0.001). High waist circumference, triglyceride disorder, high fasting blood sugar (FBS), and high blood pressure were significantly higher in patients with periodontal disease (P < 0.05). After controlling the effect of confounding variables (age, gender and BMI), the adjusted odds ratio of existence of periodontal pockets were 1.58 (95% CI: 1.1-2.2, P = 0.012) for metabolic syndrome patients. Our results showed a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among patients with periodontal disease. Therefore, screening these patients for cardiovascular disease risk factors is suggested.