The Role of Periodontal Disease in Etiology of Myocardial Infarction

Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of periodontium and its advanced form is characterized by periodontal ligament loss and destruction of surrounding alveolar bone. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of adult death in the world. Over 80% of cardiovascular disease deaths take place in low-and middleincome countries and occur almost equally in men and women. The main causes of cardiovascular diseases are tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. The association of coronary heart disease and periodontal disease may be due to an underlying response trait, which places an individual at high risk for developing both periodontal disease and atherosclerosis. It was suggested that periodontal disease, once established provides a biological burden of endotoxin and inflammatory cytokines, especially thromboxane A2, prostaglandin E2, interleukin (IL) 1L=1 α, and tumor necrosis factor-β, which serve to initiate and exacerbate atherogenesis and thromboembolic events. As we known dental infection especially periodontal disease can be tightly connected with cardiovascular disease, that’s the reason why patients who have valvular defect or some other congenital defects such as septal defects, or who have prosthetic valve, should receive antibiotic therapy as prophylaxis before any blood included procedure. It is very important to prevent periodontal disease, or if it’s already present, the treatment should commence as soon as possible to prevent the risk factors from occurring and causing cardiovascular disease.