BACKGROUND: This study was performed to test the association between Helicobacter pylori (HP) and periodontal disease (PD).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a case-control study in a comprehensive hospital, including all patients with newly diagnosed PD between 2012 and 2014 as cases and all patients without PD as controls, thorough periodontal examinations. Those who tested positive for HP were examined by means of polymerase chain reaction. Single and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the data using SPSS 19.0 software.

RESULTS: This case-control study included 212 Han Chinese non-smoking adults. The results indicated that HP-positive status significantly increased the risk of PD (2.63 times higher (odds ratio [OR]=2.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.48–4.67). After adjustment for age, sex, level of education, physical exercise, body mass index, and history of alcohol and diabetes mellitus, this association remained significantly (OR=2.82, 95% CI=1.55–5.13).

CONCLUSIONS: PD might be associated with HP infection in adults and HP infection may be a significant and independent risk factor for PD.

Keywords: Aged, 80 and over, Alcohol Drinking, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, Case-Control Studies, coinfection, Diabetes Complications - ethnology, Helicobacter Infections - ethnology, Helicobacter pylori, Multivariate Analysis, Odds Ratio, Periodontal Diseases - microbiology, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Risk Factors