Cardiovascular diseases as main risk factor for periodontal medicine: literature review

Abstract

Background: Periodontal medicine has been growing and the demand for knowledge about the effects of periodontal disease and periodontal therapy in systemic health has increased. This study described a narrative review of the literature on the correlation between cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and periodontal disease (PD). Materials and Methods: A literature search were performed on the platforms PubMed, SciELO, MEDLINE, LILACS, using the keywords “Chronic Periodontitis” AND/OR “Periodontal Diseases” AND/OR “Cardiovascular Diseases” AND/OR “Periodontal Microbiology” AND/OR “Cardiopathies AND/OR Atherosclerosis” and the inclusion criteria were articles published from 2015 to 2020, in Portuguese and English. Results: Although the connection between CVDs and PD is well documented, evidence for the cause effect of this relationship remains to be clarified. Results: CVDs such as atherosclerosis have pro-inflammatory characteristics, and the continuous adhesion of adipose cells to the inner endothelial walls promotes possible damage to the patient's entire cardiovascular system. Furthermore, it is known that periodontal bacteria when they fall into the bloodstream may have an affinity for atherosclerotic plaques, aggravating the pro-inflammatory systemic state, so understanding how the interaction between these two pathologies works is of great importance to the dental surgeon in order to proceed with his plan of treatment. Conclusions: The focus of the studies captured in this work was on the eti-opathogenesis, mechanism of action and clinical care between PD and CVDs and based on the analyzes we sought to update clinical and scientific evidence and hypotheses for significant associations between these two pathologies.