Periodontal status of patients with metabolic syndrome compared to those without metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MeS) is common among Arab populations in Mediterranean countries. This study was conducted to assess the distribution of periodontal parameters among patients with MeS and subjects without MeS in northern Jordan.
METHODS: A list of all subjects aged > or =25 years who participated in a previous study that aimed to estimate the prevalence of MeS in northern Jordan was obtained. A simple random sample of 78 patients who had MeS and another simple random sample of 78 persons who did not have MeS were selected and invited for dental examination. The oral hygiene of six selected teeth and the periodontal status of all teeth, excluding third molars, were assessed using the plaque index of Silness and Löe, the gingival index of Löe and Silness, probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). Data were analyzed using the general linear model multivariate procedure with average PD, average CAL, percentage of sites with CAL > or =3 mm, and percentage of sites with PD > or =3 mm as outcome variables and MeS and its individual components as predictors.
RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, the severity of periodontal disease, as measured by average PD and average CAL, and the extent of periodontal disease, as measured by the percentage of sites with CAL > or =3 mm and the percentage of sites with PD > or =3 mm, were significantly greater among patients with MeS compared to those without MeS.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MeS displayed more severe and extensive periodontal disease compared to subjects without MeS. Additional large-scale longitudinal epidemiologic and interventional studies are needed to establish whether periodontal disease is a contributing factor to or a result of MeS.