Periodontitis is associated with stroke

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. However, the relationship between periodontitis and stroke is rarely studied. Therefore, we aimed to explore the relationship between periodontitis and stroke. METHODS: Statistical analysis was performed using the complex sampling design. We analyzed data on 6,460 participants, representing 92,856,028 American citizens aged 30 years or older, who had valid data on periodontitis and stroke from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2014. We used clinical attachment level and probing pocket depth precisely to determine periodontitis and it is the first time to use such a precise method for exploring the relationship between periodontitis and stroke. RESULTS: 39.9% of participants had periodontitis and 2.1% of participants had a record of stroke diagnosis. Stroke was associated with severity levels of periodontitis (p for trend = 0.018). The odds ratio for stroke was significantly elevated in the severe periodontitis and moderate periodontitis participants compared to participants without periodontitis (OR for severe periodontitis: 2.55, 95% CI 1.25–5.21; OR for moderate periodontitis: 1.71, 95% CI 1.17–2.50). After adjusting for race/ethnicity and sex, the association remained significant (p for trend = 0.009). After further adjusting for BMI, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, alcohol consumption and physical activity, the association still existed (p for trend = 0.027). The association was significant consistently after further adjusting for age (p for trend = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: In this nationally representative study, we found an association between periodontitis and stroke. The risk of stroke in participants with severe periodontitis and moderate periodontitis was 2.55 times and 1.71times as high as those without periodontitis. Dental health management may be of benefit to stroke prevention. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-023-04545-1.