Association of Dental Pulp Stones with Ischemic Heart Disease

In most countries, cardiovascular problems are some of the leading causes of morbidity and death. In 2011, Ezzoddini et al. examined panoramic dental radiographs of 61 patients with coronary artery stenosis for the presence of pulp stones and their  findings showed a statistically significant association between coronary artery stenosis and presence of pulp stones.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of dental pulp stones with ischemic heart disease.

Method:

A total of 30 patients (20 males, 10 females) with ischemic heart disease (IHD group) and 10 patients (6 males, 4 females) with no systemic disease (Control group) participated in this study. The radiographic examination is performed with periapical films (CEAdent®, D-speed 30x40 mm.) for the incisors and bite-wing films (KODAK®, 27x54 mm.) for the premolars and molars.

Result:

A total of 14 patients were found to have pulp stones in the IHD group and 4 patients in the Control group. In the IHD group a total of  376 teeth were examined and 44 teeth were found to have pulp stones, while in the Control group 126 teeth were examined and 10 teeth were found to have pulp stones. The results were compared with x²-test and showed that the prevalence of pulp stones in the IHD group is very significantly higher of the prevalence of pulp stones in the Control group.

Conclusion:

This study, which was about the prevalence of dental pulp stones in the patients  with ischemic heart disease, showed that there is a very highly significant association between ischemic heart disease and dental pulp stones. Further study with larger population must be performed for the determination of the relationship between systemic diseases and dental conditions.