Periodontal Indices in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Their Correlation With Disease Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study Publisher

Summary: Are gum disease and COPD severity linked? In 221 patients, worse periodontal measures tracked more severe COPD, but the cross-sectional study cannot prove causation. #COPD #OralHealth

Naghsh N ; Shahshahan S M ; Karimi F ; Tarrahi M J ; Sami R
Source: Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory condition primarily influenced by oral microbiota, which is the source of the microbiome. This study evaluated selected periodontal indices in COPD patients and their relationship with COPD severity among patients referred to Khorshid Hospital and Day Clinic in Isfahan in 2023. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 221 subjects diagnosed with COPD based on spirometry testing. According to spirometry values, the subjects were classified into mild, moderate, severe, and very severe COPD categories. Periodontal indices including pocket depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI) and clinical attachment loss (CAL), were assessed. In addition, relevant demographic and medical information, along with smoking status and severity of periodontal disease, were evaluated. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, chi-square test, t-test, and rank regression with SPSS software. Results: All evaluated patients had periodontitis. Overall, higher COPD grades were associated with increased periodontal disease indices (PD, BOP, PI, and CAL) (p<0.001). Greater periodontitis severity correlated with increased COPD severity, with moderate and severe periodontitis raising the risk of severe and very severe COPD by 8.1 and nearly 62 times, respectively. In severe and very severe COPD cases, periodontal disease severity showed the highest level of association with COPD severity compared to age and pack-years of smoking. Conclusion: COPD severity significantly correlated with PD, BOP, PI, and CAL. However, further clinical studies are needed to establish a definitive association between these conditions due to the shared pathophysiology of COPD and periodontal disease. © The Author(s).