Alcohol use and the development of periodontal pockets: An 11-year follow-up study

Background: This study investigates whether alcohol use predicts the periodontal pocket development over an 11-year follow-up period. Methods: The study participants’ periodontal condition was examined both in the Health 2000 and 2011 Surveys (BRIF8901). Participants were aged 30 to 65 years, dentate, periodontally healthy, and did not have diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis in 2000. Periodontal outcome measures in 2011 were the number of teeth with deepened (≥4 mm) periodontal pockets and the presence of deepened periodontal pockets. The exposure in 2000 was alcohol use (amount [g/week], frequency [any alcohol or different beverages]). Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using negative binomial regression model and Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator. Results: Overall, the amount of alcohol use or use over the risk limit in 2000 was inconsistently associated with the development of periodontal pockets (IRRs varied from 0.6 to 1.0). The frequency of alcohol use (any alcohol or different beverages) had an inconsistent association with the presence of periodontal pockets (IRRs varied from 0.5 to 1.2) while there was an inverse association with the number of teeth with periodontal pockets. Among smokers, there were no clear associations between any of the exposures and either of the outcomes. The same was found among non-smokers except an inverse association was found between frequency of alcohol use and the number of teeth with periodontal pockets. Conclusion: Alcohol use was not consistently associated with the periodontal pocket development over a period of 11 years.