Periodontitis Is Associated With Higher Blood Pressure and Pulse Wave Velocity in Late Adolescence: A Population‐Based Study

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that periodontal tissue disruption and vascular dysfunction may coexist in adolescence, indicating that early manifestations of vascular risk may already be detectable at this stage of the life course. METHODS: A population-based sample of 2515 adolescents aged 18-19 years was obtained from the RPS Cohort and additional sources. We examined the relationships between Periodontitis (a latent variable representing the shared variance of bleeding on probing, probing depth ≥ 4 mm, and clinical attachment loss ≥ 3 mm) and the Vascular Risk Phenotype (a latent variable formed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Socioeconomic status, smoking, alcohol, and obesity were adjusted in structural equation models. RESULTS: Periodontitis and Vascular Risk Phenotype were correlated [Standardized Coefficient (SC): 0.100; p = 0.004]. A higher socioeconomic status was negatively associated with both Periodontitis (SC: -0.112; p < 0.001) and Vascular Risk Phenotype (SC: -0.061; p = 0.04). The strongest association was observed between obesity and the Vascular Risk Phenotype (SC: 0.393; p < 0.001), followed by its association with Periodontitis (SC: 0.114; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Periodontal and vascular alterations appear to co-occur and may represent early manifestations of cardiovascular risk influenced by shared socioeconomic and metabolic determinants.