Periodontitis as a risk indicator and predictor of poor outcome for lacunar infarct.

AIM

To investigate the association between periodontitis (PD) and lacunar infarct (LI) as well as to analyse whether PD could be a predictor of poor functional prognosis in patients with LI.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Full-mouth periodontal examination was done in 120 cases (patients with LI) and 157 healthy controls. Demographic, clinical, medical and neurological information were collected from all of them. In addition, a measure of periodontal inflammation and disease activity, namely the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA), was also calculated for each patient. Poor functional outcome was considered as a modified Rankin Scale >2 at 3 months.

RESULTS

PD was independently associated with the presence of LI (OR = 3.3, p < 0.001). Poor outcome was observed in 31 patients with LI (25.8%), of which 90.3% had PD. A PISA value ≥727 mm was an independent predictor of poor prognosis, after adjusting for clinical confounders (OR = 6.5, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

PD and LI were associated. Active moderate to severe PD predicted poor prognosis in patients with LI. Further evidence is warranted to confirm our results and investigate potential mechanisms behind this association.