Apical periodontitis and atherosclerosis: Is there a link? Review of the literature and potential mechanism of linkage.

Atherosclerosis is a progressive narrowing of arteries that may lead to occlusion as a consequence of lipid deposition. It underlies coronary heart disease, as well as myocardial and cerebral infarctions. Recent attention has been directed towards the potential contribution of chronic inflammatory processes that may amplify vascular inflammation in atherosclerosis, as it is recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease. In this category are two of the most prevalent oral diseases: periodontal disease and apical periodontitis (AP). There is increasing epidemiologic evidence for a positive association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as between AP and CVD. A review of the literature, as well as a potential mechanism for the linkage between AP and atherosclerosis, are presented in this article.