Is there a prospective association between obesity and periodontal disease? This is the question asked by a team of investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Puerto Rico, reporting their findings during the 87th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

The investigators evaluated the association between different measures of obesity and risk of periodontal disease. They analyzed data from 36,903 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were free of reported periodontal disease at the start of follow-up, and we followed them for up to 16 years (1986-2002). Height was assessed at the start of follow-up, and weight and self-reported periodontal disease data were collected at baseline and on follow-up questionnaires mailed every two years. Measures of central obesity were made by waist and hip circumference through self-assessed measurements and reported in 1987 with the aid of printed instructions and a tape measure…