BACKGROUND:

The aim of this study is to determine whether patients with a non-apnea sleep disorder (NA-SD) and comorbidity have an increased risk of periodontal disease.

METHODS:

Patients newly diagnosed with NA-SDs in 1997 to 2010 were identified as the study cohort from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database. For each patient with NA-SD, two matched controls without sleep disorders were randomly selected for comparison.

RESULTS:

The overall incidence rate ratio of severe periodontal diseases was 39% higher in the NA-SD cohort than in the comparison cohort (7.93 versus 5.69 per 1,000 person-years), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30 to 1.43). The effect of NA-SD on the risk of severe periodontal diseases was higher in young and middle-aged patients compared with patients >65 years of age (<35 years of age, HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.24; 35 to 49 years of age, HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.61 to 1.86; 50 to 64 years of age, HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.58 to 1.81; ≥65, HR: [reference] 1.0).

CONCLUSION:

NA-SD might increase the risk of periodontal disease.