Abstract
Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. Periodontitis is an infectious and inflammatory disease of periodontal tissues. Recent studies suggested that both diseases could alter the host response synergistically by sharing same inflammatory pathways. The study aimed to investigate the association between OSA and periodontitis in Chinese male adults.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 93 male adults recruited from a dormitory compound and examined between June and September 2019. All participants were diagnosed OSA using the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) with a portable, overnight polysomnography (PSG). Periodontal examinations were conducted the same day before PSG measuring: 1) mean probing depth (PD); 2) mean clinical attachment level (CAL); and 3) percentage of sites with bleeding on probing (BOP). An objective nasal airway resistance assessment was also practiced before PSG to reflect on the mouth breathing during sleep.Results: In all, 43.0% participants had periodontitis, 20.4% had OSA and 32.5% of those diagnosed with periodontitis were in combination with OSA. OSA was positively associated with periodontitis (odds ratio (OR) = 3.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29 ~ 11.07). The OSA group showed a significantly higher BOP (p = 0.034) and CAL (p = 0.046), but there was no statistically significant difference of PD (p = 0.090) between the two groups. Correlation analysis showed a low but positive correlation between OSA severity and periodontitis severity classifications and periodontal parameters. Further regression analysis identified Lowest oxygen saturation (SaO2) (OR = 0.894, 95% CI = 0.842 ~ 0.949) to be significantly associated with the prevalence of periodontitis.Conclusions: A significant association was observed between OSA and periodontitis. And increasingly severe OSA might increase the severity of periodontitis. Hypoxia parameters might have a predicting effect of periodontitis, suggesting hypoxia related systematic inflammation may be the possible explanation of the association.
Association between obstructive sleep apnea and periodontitis in Chinese male adults: A cross-sectional study
