Systemic diseases among patients with and without alveolar bone loss

Objective: Growing evidence shows an association between periodontal and general health. This study was undertaken to compare the prevalence of hypertension, respiratory diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and allergies among patients with and without alveolar bone loss. Method and Materials: A total of 420 individuals aged 18 years and older were selected. Self-reported systemic diseases, age, gender, marital status, smoking, alveolar bone level, and number of teeth present were obtained from the subjects' dental records prior to treatment. Chi-square, Student t test, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Hypertension, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and arthritis were significantly more prevalent among subjects with moderate to severe alveolar bone loss. Hypertension and diabetes remained significantly more prevalent among subjects with more severe alveolar bone loss even after adjusting for confounders. Also, subjects with moderate to severe alveolar bone loss were 4 times more likely than their counterparts to have 3 or more systemic conditions. Conclusion: Subjects with moderate to severe alveolar bone loss have an increased prevalence of systemic diseases, especially hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Keywords: allergy, alveolar bone, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, periodontitis, respiratory diseases