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Telomere length and periodontal attachment loss: a prospective cohort study
Author(s) -
Thomson William Murray,
Zeng Jiaxu,
Broadbent Jonathan M.,
Foster Page Lyndie A.,
Shalev Idan,
Moffitt Terrie E.,
Caspi Avshalom,
Williams Sheila M.,
Braithwaite Antony W.,
Robertson Stephen P.,
Poulton Richie
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of clinical periodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.456
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1600-051X
pISSN - 0303-6979
DOI - 10.1111/jcpe.12499
Subject(s) - telomere , periodontitis , clinical attachment loss , prospective cohort study , medicine , cohort , dentistry , cohort study , physiology , demography , biology , genetics , dna , sociology
Aim The aim of the study was to examine the association between telomere erosion and periodontitis in a long‐standing prospective cohort study of New Zealand adults. Specific hypotheses tested were as follows: (i) that exposure to periodontitis at ages 26 and 38 was associated with accelerated leucocyte telomere erosion and (ii) that accelerated leucocyte telomere erosion was associated with higher rates of periodontitis by ages 26 and 38. Materials and Methods Periodontal attachment loss data were collected at ages 26 and 38. Blood samples taken at the same ages were analysed to obtain estimates of leucocyte telomere length and erosion over a 12‐year period. Results Overall, the mean telomere length was reduced by 0.15 T/S ratio (adjusted) from age 26 to 38 among the 661 participants reported on here. During the same period, the mean attachment loss increased by 10%, after adjusting for sex, socio‐economic status and smoking. Regression models showed that attachment loss did not predict telomere length, and that telomere erosion did not predict attachment loss. Conclusions Although both periodontitis and telomere length are age‐dependent, they do not appear to be linked, suggesting that determination of leucocyte telomere length may not be a promising clinical approach at this age for identifying people who are at risk for periodontitis.