A fogágybetegség és a krónikus obstruktív tüdőbetegség kapcsolatának jelentősége

Periodontitis is one of the most common human chronic inflammatory diseases and about 11% of adults develop its clinicalsigns. Untreated periodontitis ultimately leads to inflammation and destruction of the periodontium leading to the lossof the teeth. Periodontitis is considered as a dental focal infection. The foci can influence other diseases in different areasof the body through different pathways. Diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus,rheumatoid arthritis, gastric ulcer, pregnancy complications and respiratory diseases such as aspiration pneumonia andchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been proven to be affected by the condition of the periodontium.COPD is an inflammatory disease characterized by progressive deterioration of pulmonary function and increasingairway obstruction, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It has a worldwide prevalence in adults at the age of40 years or older in about 9%–10%, and it is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. In addition, the incidenceand mortality of COPD are continually increasing. An observational study found that 97% of a COPD cohort hadat least one other comorbidity, with 50% having at least four. This impacts the health care costs of COPD patients withmultiple comorbidities that are 4,7 times higher than those with no comorbidity.As periodontitis and COPD are both chronic, progressive conditions characterized by neutrophilic inflammation withsubsequent proteolytic destruction of connective tissue, it has been proposed that they share common pathophysiologicprocesses. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the association of periodontal disease and COPD. Assummarized by the European Federation of Periodontology and American Academy of Periodontology (EFP/AAP), COPDinflammatory status may be modified either by aspiration of bacteria from the oral cavity and/or haematogenous disseminationof inflammatory mediators and plaque organisms from periodontal pockets. The present review of literature aimsto investigate the potential connection between periodontal disease and COPD.