Periodontitis and Alcohol in the Copenhagen City Heart Study

Objective:

Previous studies have related alcohol consumption to periodontitis risk. The Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS) is a prospective cohort study of general health and risk factors. The cohort gives excellent opportunities to evaluate the significance of possible risk factors of periodontitis including alcohol. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the relationship between alcohol consumption and periodontitis assessed as clinical attachment level (CAL) among participants in CCHS.

Methods:

Participants were randomly selected from the cohort of CCHS. In total 1,597 individuals aged 20-95 years underwent an oral examination including full-mouth probing depth, bleeding on probing and CAL. Data on alcohol consumption were collected in a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics evaluated the distribution of covariates across levels of alcohol consumption. Analytical statistics consisted of multivariate logistic regression analyses examining the cross-sectional relationship between alcohol consumption and CAL adjusting for the effects of relevant covariates.

Results:

Thirty-four were edentulous and another 42 individuals were excluded due to missing CAL or alcohol measurements, leaving 1,521 participants for statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics showed differences in alcohol consumption dependent on age, household income, smoking and physical activity. Analytical statistics showed a lowered risk of CAL for men consuming 21-35 and 35+ drinks (odds ratio [OR], 0.52; confidence interval [CI], 0.28 to 0.97 and OR, 0.34; CI, 0.15 to 0.78) compared to men drinking 1-13 drinks/week. Among women there was no significant effect of alcohol on CAL.

Conclusion:

We found increased protection against CAL with increased intake of alcohol among men. The results of the present study are not in consensus with previous epidemiological studies suggesting alcohol as a risk factor for periodontitis.

This study was supported by the Danish Dental Association, the Danish Foundation for Mutual Efforts in Dental Care, the Velux Foundation and the Spies Foundation.