THE INFLUENCE OF PATIENT AGE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SEVERITY OF PERIODONTITIS AND BLOOD PRESSURE

Objective. To study the influence of age on the relationship between the severity of periodontitis and blood pressure levels in patients with hypertension. Materials and Methods. The study included 150 patients over 18 years old with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension (AH), who had been receiving antihypertensive therapy for at least 3 months and provided written consent to participate. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of diagnosed periodontitis. The research group (50.7 % of participants) consisted of 76 patients with periodontitis, of whom 47 (61.8%) were women. The average age was 58.5 years [53; 69.25]. The control group included 74 patients without a diagnosis of periodontitis, of whom 41 were women (55.4 %). The average age was 53.5 ± 10.1 years. To establish the diagnosis of periodontitis and determine its severity, a dental examination was conducted on all patients, including assessment of periodontal pockets using a periodontal probe. Additionally, all patients underwent fluorescence-based investigation with light-induced fluorescence (QLF diagnostics) and radiographic examination of the maxillofacial system – an orthopantomogram (OPG). Results. The study showed that with increasing age, patients with severe periodontitis are at increased risk for elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP). The most significant impact of periodontitis severity on systolic pressure is observed in patients over 50.7 years of age, and on diastolic pressure in those aged 31 to 79.8 years. Furthermore, the effect of periodontitis on diastolic pressure decreases with age, despite its increase within this age range. Conclusions. The relationship between periodontitis and BP is complicated by age-related factors: the impact of periodontitis on blood pressure increases with age, but after a certain age, this relationship becomes less significant. This underscores the need to consider age-related factors when assessing the risk and treating hypertension in patients with periodontitis.