Relationship between periodontal condition and arterial properties in an adult population in Japan

Oral Diseases (2010) 16, 781–787 Objective:  This study addressed the relationship between periodontal condition and second derivative of the finger photoplethysmogram (SDPTG) in Japanese adults. Subject and methods:  The Community Periodontal Index (CPI) and SDPTG were recorded in 415 subjects (mean age: 44.0 years). For assessing SDPTG, we mainly focused on the ratio of the absolute value of the height of the early negative ‘b’ wave and ratio of the late re-decreasing ‘d’ wave to the height of the initial positive ‘a’ wave, namely the b/a and d/a ratios. Results:  The CPI score was positively correlated with the b/a ratio (P  −0.69, female >−0.64) of b/a ratio (Odds ratio = 1.7, P = 0.026) and lower level (male ≤−0.29, female ≤−0.32) of d/a ratio (Odds ratio = 2.2, P = 0.001) than those with CPI scores 0–2, after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, pulse rate and presence of hypertension. Conclusion:  There was a statistical association between the CPI scores and SDPTG indices in Japanese adults.