Dental Caries and Systemic Inflammation in Adolescents: Findings from a Population-Based Study.

IF 2.5 2区医学 Q1 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

Caries Research Pub Date : 2026-01-29 DOI:10.1159/000550646

Susilena Arouche Costa, Cecilia Claudia Costa Ribeiro, Aretha Lorena Fonseca Cantanhede Carneiro, Luciano Tavares Ângelo Cintra, Cláudia Maria Coelho Alves, Érika Barbara Abreu Fonseca Thomaz, Soraia De Fátima Carvalho Souza

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries, the most prevalent noncommunicable disease (NCD) in adolescence, may represent a hidden link to systemic inflammatory processes, a common underlying mechanism shared by all major NCDs. Accordingly, this study investigated whether dental caries was associated with systemic inflammatory burden in adolescents.

Methods: This population-based study utilized data from the RPS Brazilian Birth Cohort Consortium, specifically the 18-19-year follow-up conducted in São Luís, Brazil (n = 441). The main exposures included the visible plaque index (VPI), number of decayed teeth, DMFT index (decayed, missing, and filling), and PUFA index. The outcome was the allostatic inflammatory load, calculated as the sum of biomarkers - IL-6, IL-18, IL-1β, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP) - that fell within the high-risk range (≥75th percentile of the sample distribution). Each biomarker contributed one point, resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 5. Crude and adjusted coefficients were estimated using regression models.

Results: The number of decayed teeth (β = 0.031, p = 0.015) and the VPI (β = 0.006, p = 0.001) were positively associated with higher allostatic inflammatory load scores. Among individual biomarkers, both the number of decayed teeth (β = 8.95, SE = 4.09, p = 0.02) and the VPI (β = 1.09, SE = 0.50, p = 0.03) were positively associated with IL-18 levels, whereas no significant associations were observed for the DMFT or PUFA indices (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Dental caries was associated with systemic inflammation in adolescence, possibly reflecting shared underlying risk factors and highlighting the relevance of integrating oral health into strategies addressing common risk factors for non-communicable diseases.

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青少年龋齿和全身性炎症：一项基于人群的研究结果

目的：龋齿是青少年中最常见的非传染性疾病（NCD），它可能与全身性炎症过程存在隐藏联系，这是所有主要非传染性疾病共有的共同潜在机制。因此，本研究调查了龋病是否与青少年全身炎症负担有关。方法：这项基于人群的研究利用了RPS巴西出生队列联盟的数据，特别是在巴西 o Luís进行的18-19年随访（n = 441）。主要暴露包括可见菌斑指数（VPI）、龋数、DMFT指数（龋缺补）和PUFA指数。结果是适应性炎症负荷，计算为生物标志物- il -6、IL-18、IL-1β、TNF-α和c反应蛋白（CRP）的总和，这些生物标志物落在高风险范围内（≥样本分布的75百分位数）。每个生物标志物贡献1分，总分在0到5分之间。使用回归模型估计粗系数和调整系数。结果：龋齿数（β = 0.031, p = 0.015）和可见菌斑指数（β = 0.006, p = 0.001）与较高的适应性炎症负荷评分呈正相关。在个体生物标志物中，蛀牙数（β=8.95， SE=4.09, p=0.02）和可见菌斑指数（β=1.09， SE=0.50, p=0.03）与IL-18水平呈正相关，而DMFT和PUFA指数无显著相关性（p < 0.05）。结论：龋齿与青春期全身性炎症有关，可能反映了共同的潜在风险因素，并强调了将口腔健康纳入应对非传染性疾病常见风险因素的战略的相关性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Caries Research 医学-牙科与口腔外科

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

7.10%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： ''Caries Research'' publishes epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies in dental caries, erosion and related dental diseases. Some studies build on the considerable advances already made in caries prevention, e.g. through fluoride application. Some aim to improve understanding of the increasingly important problem of dental erosion and the associated tooth wear process. Others monitor the changing pattern of caries in different populations, explore improved methods of diagnosis or evaluate methods of prevention or treatment. The broad coverage of current research has given the journal an international reputation as an indispensable source for both basic scientists and clinicians engaged in understanding, investigating and preventing dental disease.