Periodontitis and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with osteoarthritis in U.S.: A population-based cohort study

Background: The potential association between periodontitis and osteoarthritis (OA) has been widely reported in recent years, but the effect of periodontitis on the mortality of OA participants has yet to be determined. This study was designed to clarify the association between periodontitis and mortality in OA individuals. Methods: This study includes 1,248 OA participants who aged ≥ 30 years from NHANES in the baseline period of 1988-2014. Cox and Weibull models were utilized to calculate hazard ratios (HRs), time ratios (TRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the correlation between periodontitis and mortality in participants with OA. Results: Over a span of 14.38 years median follow-up, 542 deaths were observed. Moderate-to-severe periodontitis was correlated with all-cause mortality among individuals with OA after adjusting for covariates. (Cox: HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.71, P = 0.041; AFT: TR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76 - 0.99, P = 0.039). Notably, moderate-to-severe periodontitis increased the risk of CVD-related mortality among female participants (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.18 – 3.02, P = 0.008). However, no significant connection was found between periodontitis and other mortality. Conclusions: This study revealed a higher all-cause mortality in OA participants with moderate-to-severe periodontitis than in those with no/mild periodontitis and also a higher mortality in female participants with moderate-to-severe periodontitis.