Chronic Periodontitis Linked to Psoriasis

Chronic Periodontitis Linked to Psoriasis

According to a new study, people with chronic periodontitis have a slightly higher risk of developing psoriasis, a common skin ailment characterized by skin redness and irritation. The results, published online in the British Journal of Dermatology, also show that the treatment of chronic periodontitis limited the risk of subsequent psoriasis, but did not eliminate it entirely.

Based out of Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, researchers Joseph J. Keller, MD, MDH, and Herng-Ching Lin, PhD, analyzed a group of more than 230,000 people using a Taiwanese national health system database. The cohort study included one group of 115,365 subjects with chronic periodontitis, and 115,365 participants without chronic periodontitis. Each group was monitored over a 5-year period. Among the subjects with chronic periodontitis, 1,082 developed psoriasis, while 706 of the control group were diagnosed with psoriasis, which works out to 1.9 in 1,000 people vs 1.2 in 1,000 people in the control group.

Prior to this investigation, little research had been conducted on the possible association between chronic periodontitis and psoriasis. While the results do not demonstrate a causal relationship, they do suggest that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for psoriasis. This study did not control for factors that could have affected results, such as cigarette smoking, leading Keller and Lin to suggest that additional research is warranted.