Periodontal disease is associated with metabolic syndrome in hemodialysis patients

Background. Periodontitis and metabolic syndrome are highly prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients but little information is available on their association. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between these two conditions in a HD cohort. Methods. Data from 253 HD patients were analyzed. The association of periodontitis, gingival inflammation and dental plaque burden with metabolic syndrome and its individual component conditions were evaluated. Adjustments for age, gender, socioeconomic status, comorbidity and smoking status were considered. Results. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 65.1% among individuals (n = 149) with moderate-severe periodontitis, 54.5% among individuals (n = 55) with mild periodontitis and 36.7% among individuals (n = 49) without periodontitis. After adjustment of confounders, patients with moderate-severe periodontitis were 2.736 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.293-5.790] times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than were those without periodontitis. In addition, the odds ratio for metabolic syndrome was 1.561 (95% CI, 1.121-2.166) per score of gingival inflammation severity and 1.724 (95% CI, 1.135-12.615) per score of dental plaque burden. Conclusions. Moderate-severe periodontitis is associated with metabolic syndrome in HD patients. Whether improved oral health reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome is worth determining through further studies.