Association between periodontitis and hypertension: cross-sectional survey from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016)

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between periodontitis severity and hypertension based on Chinese epidemiological data. DESIGN: This cross-sectional survey enrolled adults from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016). SETTING: The data were obtained from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016). PARTICIPANTS: The study included individuals aged 35–44 years (n=4409), 55–64 years (n=4568) and 65–74 years (n=4218). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Periodontal status, defined on the basis of the 2017 classification scheme, and periodontal parameters (eg, bleeding on probing (BOP)) were compared between individuals with hypertension and individuals with normotension. Smoothed scatterplots were constructed to demonstrate the associations of periodontal parameters and periodontal status with hypertension. RESULTS: Severe periodontitis (stages III and IV) was present in 41.4% of individuals with hypertension and 28.0% of individuals with normotension, respectively (p<0.001). The prevalence of severe periodontitis was higher in individuals with hypertension than that in individuals with normotension among participants aged 35–44 years (18.0% vs 10.1%, p<0.001) and 55–64 years (40.2% vs 36.7%, p=0.035), but not in participants aged 65–74 years (46.4% vs 45.1%, p=0.429). Therefore, the difference in periodontal status between individuals with hypertension and individuals with normotension decreased with age. There were higher prevalences of BOP, probing depth (PD) ≥4 mm and PD ≥6 mm in individuals with hypertension than in individuals with normotension (52.1% vs 49.2%, 19.6% vs 14.7% and 1.8% vs 1.1%, respectively). Periodontitis severity and the proportion of teeth with PD ≥4 or ≥6 mm were positively associated with hypertension. CONCLUSION: Periodontitis is associated with hypertension in Chinese adults. Hypertension prevalence increased with periodontitis severity, particularly among young participants. Accordingly, it is necessary to improve the education, awareness of periodontal treatment and preventive management among individuals at risk of hypertension, particularly in the younger population.