Abstract
Background/Objectives: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease associated with many systemic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The aim was to evaluate the usefulness of the CDC/AAP and the EFP/AAP criteria to detect subclinical atherosclerosis in subjects with diabetes and severe periodontal disease. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Atheroma plaque was evaluated by high-resolution carotid and femoral ultrasonography. A dental examination protocol was implemented by a trained periodontist. A full-mouth periodontal clinical examination was carried out at six sites by automated computerized Florida Probe Periodontal Probing. Periodontal disease was defined by CDC/AAP and EFP/AAP criteria. Results: In total, 98 patients were included (60.2% women), of which 50% had diabetes. Subjects with diabetes showed a high prevalence of severe cases of periodontal disease. Both criteria were useful to detect the presence of atheroma plaque only in the presence of diabetes. However, the CDC/AAP criteria had higher correlation with atheroma plaques than EFP/AAP criteria (r = 0.522 vs. r = 0.369, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The CDC/AAP and the EFP/AAP criteria are a useful tool to identify subclinical atherosclerosis in subjects with severe periodontal disease and diabetes. These results show the potential role of the oral healthcare team in the dental office for the identification of subjects with diabetes at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.