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Obstructive sleep apnoea and periodontitis: a novel association?

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Abstract

Purpose

Since both obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and periodontitis are associated with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular morbidity, we questioned whether there may be an association between these two disorders.

Materials and methods

A standard periodontal examination was undertaken in a group of 66 (54 men and 12 women) treatment-naïve patients diagnosed with OSA [apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) >5/h] to derive a number of quantitative variables which could then be used to determine the prevalence of periodontitis in a group of patients.

Results

The prevalence of periodontitis in our study group was 77–79%, depending on the definition used. This was almost four times that of historical controls derived from a recent national survey. When sleep-related variables were compared against periodontal variables, significant correlations were found between periodontal clinical attachment level and total sleep time.

Conclusion

Our pilot study suggests that OSA is associated with periodontitis. Further research is needed to elucidate the nature of this association.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff at the Royal North Shore Dental Clinic for their assistance with the periodontal examination. We thank the sleep technologists at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital for their help with the data collection. We also thank Nathaniel Marshall PhD for his critical review of the manuscript.

Disclosure

This was not an industry-supported study. The authors have indicated no financial conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Periodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Kogulan Gunaratnam

  2. Department of Periodontics, Sydney Dental Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Barbara Taylor

  3. School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia

    Barbara Taylor

  4. Community Oral Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Bradley Curtis

  5. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, St. Leonards, Australia

    Peter Cistulli

  6. Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Peter Cistulli

  7. Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia

    Peter Cistulli

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  1. Kogulan Gunaratnam
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  2. Barbara Taylor
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  3. Bradley Curtis
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  4. Peter Cistulli
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Correspondence to Peter Cistulli.

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Gunaratnam, K., Taylor, B., Curtis, B. et al. Obstructive sleep apnoea and periodontitis: a novel association?. Sleep Breath 13, 233–239 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-008-0244-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-008-0244-0

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