Genetic susceptibility to oral and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases based on dental and heart SCORE studies

Periodontal disease and dental caries are two oral conditions that have been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, it is unclear if one of the key mechanisms involved in this association could be a shared genetic susceptibility. The goal of this study was to explore whether there is an intersection of genetic loci among individuals with comprehensive oral examinations and subclinical ASCVD screenings. We leveraged data from oral and medical examinations obtained from the Dental and Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (Dental/Heart SCORE) projects. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were performed independently in 552 participants (aged 45-75 years). The decayed, missing, or filled teeth index (DMFT) and periodontal disease indices were used to reflect oral conditions; coronary artery calcium scores (CAC) and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) were analyzed as subclinical ASCVD traits. Single nucleotide variant (SNV) associations with oral and ASCVD traits were found; however, there were only a few regions of suggestive genetic loci overlap between these conditions. The most robust associations found for each phenotype are as follows: DMFT with rs79198416 (near CDC73/KCNT2; p = 7.57E-07), periodontal disease with rs73870587 (DIPK2A, p = 7.38E-08); CIMT with rs113152669 (LRP1B p = 4.07E-07), and CAC with rs76676138 (CNTNAP2; p = 2.47E-19). Although genetic associations were identified for each of the phenotypes of interest in the GWASs, there were no regions of shared genetic loci that significantly intersected across phenotypes. Thus, our results suggest that incorporation of environmental, behavioral, microbiome-related factors, and larger sample sizes, are warranted in future studies between oral and cardiovascular health.