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Positive Impact of Periodontal Therapy on General Health (2014-07-27)

Evidence from insurance data for five systemic conditions: people who were treated for periodontal disease had lower healthcare costs and fewer hospitalizations a new study has found.
Treatment of periodontal (gum) disease may lessen the adverse consequences of diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D); coronary artery disease (CAD); cerebral vascular disease (CVD); rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and pregnancy.

 


 

The study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia was led by Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat.

Insurance claims data from 338,891 individuals with both medical and dental insurance coverage were analyzed in 2011–2013.
Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of at least one of the five specified systemic conditions and evidence of periodontal disease. Subjects were categorized according to whether they had completed treatment for periodontal disease in the baseline year, 2005.

Outcomes were total allowed medical costs and number of hospitalizations, per subscriber per year, in 2005–2009.
Except in the case of pregnancy, outcomes were aggregated without regard to reported cause.

Individuals who were treated and untreated for periodontal disease were compared independently for the two outcomes and five systemic conditions using ANCOVA; age, gender, and T2D status were covariates.

The study team found significant reductions in both healthcare costs and hospital stays over a period of five years among treated patients with each of the conditions except rheumatoid arthritis.

On average, non-dental healthcare costs for people with diabetes or stroke were about 40 percent lower if their gum disease was treated. For those with coronary artery disease, costs were about 11 percent lower with treatment.

Women who were pregnant and treated for gum disease had medical costs that were 74 percent lower than those with untreated gum disease, according to findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
When gum disease was treated, hospital admissions were also 39 percent lower among people with diabetes, 21 percent lower for stroke patients and 29 percent lower for those with coronary artery disease.

These cost-based results provide new, independent, and potentially valuable evidence that simple, noninvasive periodontal therapy may improve health outcomes in pregnancy and other systemic conditions.
The authors agree that their study doesn’t prove treating gum disease improved other conditions. For instance, it’s possible that people who elected to have their gum disease treated also took better care of themselves in general.

See also
Gum disease linked to Atherosclerosis (30/09/2011)

Poor dental health may lead to Alzheimer’s (2013-10-07)

Inflamed gums tied to erection problems (2013-02-05)

Healthy gums for healthy blood vessels (24/06/2011)

For more information
bit.ly/1jQyEnk American Journal of Preventive Medicine, online June 18, 2014

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