Amount and type of alcohol and periodontitis in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

AIM

The aim of this study was to study the association between alcohol consumption and periodontitis assessed as clinical attachment loss (CAL) and bleeding on probing (BOP) in a cross-sectional design.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 1,521 adults aged 20-95 years, who underwent an oral examination including full-mouth registration of CAL and BOP. Alcohol was ascertained using a food-frequency questionnaire. The association between total and type-specific alcohol and periodontitis was assessed by means of multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

A lower odds ratio (OR) for CAL (defined as mean >or=3 mm) was observed in men consuming 21-34 [OR=0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.95] and 35+ drinks/week (OR=0.34, 95% CI, 0.15-0.79) compared with men drinking 1-13 drinks/week. Also, men with a weekly wine consumption of more than 14 drinks compared with men who reported no wine intake had lower OR for CAL (OR=0.24; 95% CI, 0.09-0.62). A higher OR for BOP (defined as >or=25%) among male abstainers was observed (OR=1.79, 95% CI, 1.03-3.12) compared with men in the light-drinking group (1-13 drinks/week). No significant association was observed for either CAL or BOP in women.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that higher alcohol consumption, particularly intake of wine, is inversely associated with CAL in men. Such an association is not found in women.