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

Abstract 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 2 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.