Correlation between ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver and periodontal condition in a cross-sectional study in Japan

Abstract

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between periodontal condition and ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Japanese oral health check population. A total of 1226 consecutive participant were enrolled in the study. Abdominal ultrasonography was applied to diagnose NAFLD. Of the study participants, 339 (27.7%) had ultrasonography-diagnosed NAFLD. The participants with NAFLD had a significantly higher prevalence of probing pocket depth (PPD) ≥ 4 mm (86.7%) than those without NAFLD (72.9%) (p < 0.05). After adjusting for gender, age, Brinkman index, regular exercise habits, body mass index, number of teeth present, presence of periodontitis, blood pressure, and serum parameters, there was a statistically significant difference in the adjusted odds ratios of having PPD ≥ 4 mm for NAFLD (Odds ratio = 1.881, 95% confidence interval 1.184–2.987, p < 0.01). Having PPD ≥ 4 mm may be a risk factor for ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD in this cross-sectional study of a Japanese oral health check population.

Association between periodontal status and non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in a Korean adult population: A nationwide cross‐sectional study

“…These dose‐effect trends were also confirmed for the association with the NAFLD indicators and the severity of periodontal pockets. This result is in line with that reported by Iwasaki et al . Participants with ≥4 mm‐probing depth are associated with a higher probability of ultrasonography‐diagnosed NAFLD in Japanese women (OR = 2.97) .…”

“…This result is in line with that reported by Iwasaki et al . Participants with ≥4 mm‐probing depth are associated with a higher probability of ultrasonography‐diagnosed NAFLD in Japanese women (OR = 2.97) . This OR is higher than the OR of Korean women, but it is difficult to compare the results because NAFLD diagnostic methods differ.…”

“…However, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the association between periodontitis and NAFLD using only a few studies, and the results of large‐scale cross‐sectional studies remain controversial . These conflicting results may be due to differences in the definition of periodontitis and the NAFLD diagnosis, such as ALT and AST, FLI, the NAFLD fibrosis score, and liver ultrasound . The FLI and HSI used in this study have been validated and used in large‐scale surveys and are an efficient screening tool for NAFLD in Koreans …”

“…It has been reported to be associated with several systemic inflammatory diseases . Several epidemiological studies have been published. An experimental animal study showed the biological plausibility between periodontitis and NAFLD .…”

“…Two large‐scale cohort studies evaluated the effects of periodontitis on incident liver morbidity and mortality in Finland and the development of NAFLD in northeastern Germany . Four cross‐sectional studies have examined the association between periodontitis and NAFLD in Germany, the United States, and Japan . All except one of these epidemiological studies has reported that periodontitis is associated with NAFLD .…”