Association between Life's Essential 8 score and periodontitis in patients with diabetes: Insights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2014.

Background: The authors explored the relationship between Life's Essential 8 (LE8) scores and periodontitis among patients with diabetes in the United States.

Methods: The authors used data from a large cohort in the United States. A weighted multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between LE8 score and the prevalence of periodontitis, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, and other relevant factors. Restricted cubic splines were applied to explore nonlinear relationships.

Results: A total of 1,164 people participated in this study; 51.8% were male and 48.2% were female. In a multivariable logistic regression model, the LE8 score was inversely associated with periodontitis prevalence (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97 to 0.99; P = .001), and this association was consistent across low, medium, and high LE8 score groups. Participants in the highest LE8 score group had 64% lower odds of periodontitis prevalence than those in the lowest group (odds ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.99; P = .04). Restricted cubic spline regression analysis indicated no significant nonlinear association between LE8 score and periodontitis.

Conclusions: Elevated LE8 scores were significantly associated with lower prevalence odds of periodontitis in participants with diabetes.

Practical implications: The study results indicated an association between cardiovascular health (assessed by the LE8 score) and periodontitis in patients with diabetes, suggesting that both cardiovascular health and periodontal status should be considered in the management of diabetes.