Association between periodontal disease status and risk of atrial fibrillation: a nationwide population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Periodontal disease can activate an immune process linked to systemic diseases, including atrial fibrillation. However, the relationship between periodontal disease and atrial fibrillation remains unclear. AIM: This study aimed to investigate whether changes in periodontal disease status are associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Using the National Health Insurance Database Korea, participants who underwent the first oral health examination in 2003 and a second examination in 2005–2006 without a history of atrial fibrillation were included. Participants were grouped according to changes in periodontal disease status during two oral examinations: periodontal disease-free, periodontal disease-recovered, periodontal disease-developed, and periodontal disease-chronic. The outcome was the incidence of atrial fibrillation. RESULTS: The study included 1,254,515 participants, with a median follow-up of 14.3 years and 25,402 (2.02%) cases of atrial fibrillation occurred. During follow-up, the risk of atrial fibrillation was highest in the periodontal disease-chronic group, followed by the periodontal disease-developed, periodontal disease-recovered, and periodontal disease-free groups (p for trend < 0.001). Moreover, recovery from periodontal disease was associated with a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation compared to a chronic periodontal disease status (Hazard ratio: 0.97, 95% Confidence interval: 0.94—0.99, p = 0.045). The development of periodontal disease was associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to being periodontal disease-free (Hazard ratio: 1.04, 95% Confidence interval: 1.01—1.08, p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that changes in periodontal disease status impact the risk of atrial fibrillation. Management of periodontal disease may help prevent atrial fibrillation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-023-03165-x.