The Study
Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection is Associated with Increased Vascular Inflammation in Patients with and Without Coronary Artery Disease
This study looked at whether a mouth bacteria called Porphyromonas gingivalis is found more often in people who have high levels of inflammation in their blood. It found that people with this bacteria often had higher inflammation, especially if they already had heart disease. But it didn’t prove the bacteria caused the inflammation — maybe people with more inflammation have worse gums, or maybe something else is causing both.
Analysis score
Maximum 22 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at older adults and found that a common gum bacteria called Porphyromonas gingivalis is often present and linked to higher levels of two blood markers that show inflammation in blood vessels.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 522 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even people without heart disease who had this gum bacteria showed signs of vascular inflammation, suggesting gum health might matter for heart risk beyond just cholesterol.
- 248.6% of people had the gum bacteria; those with the bacteria had higher MPO (a blood inflammation marker) whether or not they had heart disease; only those with heart disease had higher hsCRP (another inflammation marker) if they also had the bacteria.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Translational Science
Year
2024
Authors
Courtney Levit, Hannah E. Wheeler, Danielle Sindelar, Conville Brown, Nicolas Chronos, Marc S. Penn
Related Content
Claims (6)
Bacteria from gum disease can escape from your mouth into your bloodstream and may help cause calcium buildup in your heart arteries and valves, which can lead to heart problems.
People with coronary artery disease who have Porphyromonas gingivalis bacteria show higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein than those without the bacteria. This difference does not occur in people without coronary artery disease.
Adults around 70 years old with Porphyromonas gingivalis in their mouth have higher levels of myeloperoxidase in their blood, especially if they have had coronary artery disease.
In people around 70 years old, nearly half had Porphyromonas gingivalis detected in their mouths, whether or not they had coronary artery disease.
People taking statins are more likely to have had coronary artery disease and to have Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, suggesting these three factors are linked.
Adults with and without coronary artery disease who have Porphyromonas gingivalis in their mouth show higher levels of myeloperoxidase, a marker of inflammation.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.