Kinnunen J, Koponen K, Kambur O et al. The association of periodontitis with risk of prevalent and incident metabolic syndrome. J Clin Periodontol 2025; DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.70042.

Periodontitis is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome

This study investigated whether periodontitis is associated with prevalent and incident metabolic syndrome (MetS). The baseline study included 4,183 individuals from a population-based survey in 2007 and follow-up of 1,047 participants with clinical re-examination in 2014. The risk of periodontitis was assessed with saliva biomarkers using a validated, three-group cumulative risk score for periodontitis (CRS I, II and III). In fully adjusted models, CRS III was associated with prevalent MetS, high waist circumference, high blood pressure and the number of MetS components. Among participants without MetS at baseline, 128 (21%) developed MetS during follow-up. CRS III trended positively with incident MetS in the whole population and had a significant positive association in women, and in non-smokers. The risk between CRS and incident MetS was mediated via systemic inflammation.