Periodontitis, Dental Procedures, and Young-Onset Cryptogenic Stroke

Periodontitis is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, and the risk may be particularly high among young people with unexplained stroke etiology. Thus, we investigated in a case-control study whether periodontitis or recent invasive dental treatments are associated with young-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS). We enrolled participants from a multicenter case-control SECRETO study including adults aged 18 to 49 y presenting with an imaging-positive first-ever CIS and stroke-free age- and sex-matched controls. Thorough clinical and radiographic oral examination was performed. Furthermore, we measured serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipotechoic acid (LTA) levels. Multivariate conditional regression models were adjusted for stroke risk factors, regular dentist visits, and patent foramen ovale (PFO) status. We enrolled 146 case-control pairs (median age 41.9 y; 58.2% males). Periodontitis was diagnosed in 27.5% of CIS patients and 20.1% of controls ( P < 0.001). In the fully adjusted models, CIS was associated with high periodontal inflammation burden (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval) with an OR of 10.48 (3.18–34.5) and severe periodontitis with an OR of 7.48 (1.24–44.9). Stroke severity increased with the severity of periodontitis, having an OR of 6.43 (1.87–23.0) in stage III to IV, grade C. Invasive dental treatments performed within 3 mo prestroke were associated with CIS, with an OR of 2.54 (1.01–6.39). Association between CIS and invasive dental treatments was especially strong among those with PFO showing an OR of 6.26 (1.72–40.2). LPS/LTA did not differ between CIS patients and controls but displayed an increasing trend with periodontitis severity. Periodontitis and recent invasive dental procedures were associated with CIS after controlling for multiple confounders. However, the role of bacteremia as a mediator of this risk was not confirmed.