Association between periodontal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Evidence from sequential cross‐sectional and prospective cohort studies based on UK Biobank

Abstract Aim To investigate the association between periodontal diseases, airflow limitation and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a large‐scale prospective UK Biobank cohort. Materials and Methods Our approach comprised a cross‐sectional study and a prospective cohort. Periodontal diseases were determined based on the participants' self‐reported dental symptoms, including painful gums, bleeding gums and loose teeth. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of periodontal diseases with airflow limitation and incident COPD in the cross‐sectional study and the prospective cohort, respectively. Results The cross‐sectional study involved 495,610 participants. Multivariable analysis found that periodontal diseases were significantly associated with airflow limitation (odds ratio = 1.036, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.015–1.059). The cohort study included 379,266 participants with a median follow‐up period of 12.68 years. An elevated risk of incident COPD was associated with the presence of periodontal diseases (hazard ratio: 1.248, 95% CI: 1.174–1.326). The effect was consistent among subgroups, including baseline age (≤65 or >65 years), sex, smoking status and diabetes mellitus. Conclusions Periodontal diseases are associated with airflow limitation and elevated COPD incidence. Maintaining good periodontal health in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema may help prevent the onset of COPD.