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Volume 32, Issue 2 , Pages 99-103, February 2006

Pulpal Inflammation and Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease

Kaumudi J. Joshipura, ScD
- Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Dental Public Health, University of Puerto Rico School of Dentistry, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Address requests for reprint to Dr. Kaumudi Joshipura, Department of Oral Health Policy & Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.
Waranuch Pitiphat, ScD
- Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Community Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Hsin-Chia Hung, ScD
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Institute of Health Care Management, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan
Walter C. Willett, DrPH
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
- Channing Laboratory and the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Graham A. Colditz, ScD
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Channing Laboratory and the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Chester W. Douglass, PhD
- Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

Pulpal inflammation is primarily caused by coronal caries, and leads to root canal therapy (RCT). Chronic inflammation has been associated with various cardiovascular diseases. This study evaluates the association between pulpal inflammation (using RCT as a surrogate) and incident coronary heart disease (CHD). We report results among males from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), excluding participants with prior cardiovascular disease or diabetes. We obtained RCT data from the HPFS cohort (n = 34,683). Compared to men without RCT, those with ≥1 RCT had a multivariate RR of 1.21 (95% CI 1.05-1.40) for CHD. The association was limited to dentists (RR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.14-1.67). There was no association among nondentists (RR = 1.03). Dental caries was not associated with CHD. The results suggest a possible modest association between pulpal inflammation and CHD.

Key Words: Cardiovascular disease , caries , epidemiology , inflammation , root canals