A study presented in a meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in Miami showed that patients suffering from obesity have more risk of having periodontal disease than people of have normal weight.

This study was carried out by a group of investigators from the University of Puerto Rico and Harvard School of Public Health, which evaluated the relationship of obesity to the risk of periodontal disease.

The researchers studied 36,903 men who were reported to be free from periodontal disease prior to the start of the study. These subjects were monitored for almost 16 years from the years 1986 to 2002.

During the earlier part of the study, researchers collected the following data from the participants: weight, height and signs of periodontal disease. Follow-up questionnaires were sent every two years to monitor the participant’s progress. The participants were also provided with tape measures and printed instructions to aid them in measuring their hip and waist circumferences.

Researchers also computed the body mass index (BMI) of each participant along with their waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference at the onset of periodontal disease. As a result, 3,340 participants were found to have developed the disease. Researchers also observed significant relationships between periodontal disease and obesity after adjusting food intake, physical activity, race, diabetes status and smoking baseline.

In addition to the findings, the study has also determined the following: men with a BMI of 30 and above have a higher risk of periodontal disease compared to men with lower BMI; men with a waist circumference of 40 inches and above are also prone to the disease; and men with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95 or more are also susceptible to periodontal disease.

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Tags: dental, obese, obesity, peridontal