Prevalence and Environmental Risk Indicators for Periodontitis. A Cross-sectional Study

Periodontitis is a biofilm-mediated chronic inflammatory disease with a multi-factorial etiology; it belongs to the group of diseases classified as "Non-communicable Diseases" (NCDs). According to the results of the Global Burden of Disease Study of 2017, it is the sixth most prevalent disease worldwide and it constitutes a heavy burden on health costs.

Risk factors for such disease include non-modifiable risk factors, i.e. familiarity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, as well as modifiable risk factors, i.e. diet, stress and low physical exercise. Given the significant impact of oral health on the quality of life and overall well being of the individual, many studies investigated the importance of risk factors for oral health. In particular, there is some evidence that more severe manifestations of periodontitis are associated with lower physical activity (De Oliveira Ferreira et al., 2019), poor sleep quality (Karaaslan & Dikilitaş, 2019) and more perceived stress (Coelho et al., 2020). With regards to diet, despite the high number of studies demonstrating an anti-inflammatory effect of the Mediterranean Diet, no study has ever investigated the adherence to Mediterranean Dieta to the oral health status.

From a methodological standpoint, investigations regarding environmental factors are mainly carried out through questionnaires administration, whose validity and reproducibility had been previously demonstrated. The novelty introduced by the present study would be a complete analysis of the effects of lifestyles (diet, sleep quality, physical exercise, perceived stress) on the periodontal status of the individual.