Association Between Sleep Characteristics and Periodontal Health Indices: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Rafsanjan Cohort Study

Background Periodontal disease results from an inflammatory response to bacterial biofilms around the periodontium. Sleep characteristics, including quality and duration, may influence periodontal health, but the relationship remains unclear. Materials and Methods The study was cross-sectional research conducted in the university oral health institution and dental clinics in 2020. Sleep characteristics were assessed via a self-reported questionnaire. Periodontal health was evaluated using clinical indicators such as bleeding on probing (BOP), clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing pocket depth (PPD), and calculus presence. CAL was assessed as the main outcome while other indices were considered as the secondary ones. Data were processed using STATA version 14 and p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results A total of. 6,750 participants aged between 35 to 70 were included. The prevalence of BOP, calculus, PPD, and CAL were assessed as 73.31%, 81.49%, 13.75%, and 59.67%, respectively. Participants who used sleeping pills were significantly associated with lower CAL prevalence(OR:0.79, CI:0.63–0.99). Longer nighttime sleep duration (OR: 0.96, CI: 0.92–0.99) was associated with lower BOP prevalence. Additionally, sleeping pill consumption (OR:0.69, CI: 0.54–0.88) was significantly associated with lower calculus prevalence. Conclusions our findings suggest that longer nighttime sleep and the use of sleeping pills may improve periodontal health indexes. Further prospective studies are recommended for better generalizability.