Abstract TMP107: Regular Dental Care Reduces the Risk for Ischemic Stroke: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Abstract

Introduction: Prior epidemiological studies have shown that periodontal disease (PD), also referred to as gum disease, is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. We assessed the hypothesis that users of regular dental care may have a lower risk for incident ischemic stroke and specific stroke subtype when compared with users of episodic dental care. Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal community-based cohort study, participants without prior stroke were assessed for dental care utilization represented by patient-reported responses to questionnaires. The pattern of dental care utilization was classified as regular use (every year), episodic use (as needed), or no use (never). Episodic visits, or visits as needed, are considered signs of inadequate utilization of dental care. These participants were followed for incident ischemic strokes. Ischemic stroke diagnoses were defined as sudden onset of neurological deficit(s) lasting ≥24 hours along with neuroimaging confirmation. Strokes were further classified according to etiologic subtype as thrombotic, lacunar, or cardioembolic stroke subtype according to criteria adopted from the National Survey of Stroke. Results: Of 11,242 participants (mean age±SD=62.8±5.6, 56% female, 78% white and 22% African-American) assessed for dental care utilization at the fourth ARIC visit (1996-1998). Over a 15-year follow-up period a total of 583 participants had incident ischemic stroke events, of who 19% were lacunar, 29% were cardioembolic and 45% were of the thrombotic stroke subtype. After adjustment for confounders (race/center, age, gender, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, LDL level, smoking, and education), regular dental care utilization was associated with lower risk for ischemic stroke overall compared with episodic dental users (adjusted HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63-0.94). Regular dental care specifically lowered the risk of thrombotic stroke subtype (adjusted HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56-0.99). Conclusions: Results from this prospective cohort study demonstrates an independent association between regular dental care utilization with a lower ischemic stroke risk. Further, we report the highest impact of regular dental care in lowering risk of the thrombotic stroke subtype.