Method: Prospective study of a complete birth cohort born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, NZ. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) at ages 26 and 38 was measured from blood samples taken at those ages, using a validated quantitative PCR method which determines mean LTL across all chromosomes for all cells sampled (using triplicates). For cultural reasons, the laboratory analyses were restricted to nonMaori. Those showing a 15% or greater reduction in LTL were designated as having telomere erosion. Conventional cohort study analyses were used, along with a nested matched case-control study analysis using conditional logistic regression, with cases (1+ sites with 6+mm attachment loss, AL, by age 38) matched individually with cases on sex, socio-economic status, smoking and number of missing teeth.
Result: Complete data were available for 723 (51.5% male), of whom 83 (11.5%) had 1+ sites with 6+mm AL, and 328 (45.5%) had telomere erosion. There were no significant differences in periodontal status between those with or without the latter. The nested case-control study showed that those with telomere erosion were not more likely to have periodontitis (odds ratio = 1.1; 95% CI 0.5, 2.6). Findings were not materially different when analyses were restricted to males, or when other periodontal measures and case definitions were used.
Conclusion: Telomere erosion through the thirties is not associated with periodontal attachment loss by age 38.