Relationship Between Periodontitis and Open Angle Glaucoma: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Prcis: Using Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data, this study reveals a significant association between periodontitis and open angle glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between periodontitis and open angle glaucoma.

Methods: Data from 17,478 subjects in the KNHANES 2010-2011 were analyzed. We included 6215 subjects aged 19 years or older who underwent both dental and ophthalmological examinations that met International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology criteria. Exclusions included ocular surgery (eg, refractive, cataract, retina), age-related macular degeneration, those who were pregnant or who were undergoing orthodontic treatment, and those with missing data. The final analysis included 3681 subjects. Periodontal disease was assessed using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI) developed by the WHO.

Results: Of 3681 subjects, 197 (4.59%) had glaucoma and 3484 (95.41%) did not. Among the 197 glaucoma patients, 80 (39.48%) had periodontitis; among those without glaucoma, 892 (22.20%) had periodontitis ( P <0.001). The periodontitis group was more likely to have glaucoma than the nonperiodontitis group [odds ratio (OR), 1.53; 95% CI, 1.06-2.22; adjusted for age, sex, DM, HTN, smoking rate, and drinking rate]. For those older than 40 years, the OR was 1.75 (95% CI, 1.18-2.61), and that for men was 1.65 (95% CI, 1.01-2.70). When comparing the group with and without periodontitis in DM patients, the OR was 2.70 (95% CI, 1.46-5.02).

Conclusion: This study shows a significant association between periodontitis and glaucoma, especially in patients aged 40 and older, men, and those with diabetes. Future follow-up studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism behind this association.