Relationship between Oral Health and Glaucoma Traits in the United Kingdom

Rachel H Lee; Jae H Kang; Janey L Wiggs; Siegfried K Wagner; Anthony P Khawaja; Louis R Pasquale; Modifiable Risk Factors for Glaucoma Collaboration, the UK Biobank Eye and Vision Consortium, and the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium

doi:10.1097/IJG.0000000000002370

Relationship between Oral Health and Glaucoma Traits in the United Kingdom

J Glaucoma. 2024 Mar 5. doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002370. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Rachel H Lee¹, Jae H Kang², Janey L Wiggs³, Siegfried K Wagner⁴, Anthony P Khawaja⁵, Louis R Pasquale^{1

6}; Modifiable Risk Factors for Glaucoma Collaboration, the UK Biobank Eye and Vision Consortium, and the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium

Affiliations

¹ New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
² Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
⁴ NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Birmingham and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
⁵ NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK.
⁶ Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 38506820
DOI: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002370

Abstract

Precis: In this cross-sectional analysis of UK Biobank participants, we find no adverse association between self-reported oral health conditions and either glaucoma or elevated intraocular pressures.

Purpose: Poor oral health may cause inflammation that accelerates the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated the relationship between oral health and glaucoma.

Patients: United Kingdom (UK) Biobank participants.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of participants categorized by self-reported oral health status. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were employed. Primary analysis examined the association with glaucoma prevalence. Secondary analyses examined associations with IOP, macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thicknesses, and interaction terms with multi-trait glaucoma polygenic risk scores (MTAG PRS) or intraocular pressure (IOP) PRS.

Results: 170,815 participants (34.3%) reported current oral health problems, including painful or bleeding gums, toothache, loose teeth, and/or denture wear. 33,059, 33,004, 14,652, and 14,613 participants were available for analysis of glaucoma, IOP, mRNFL, and mGCIPL, respectively. No association between oral health and glaucoma was identified (odds ratio (OR): 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95, 1.14). IOPs were slightly lower among those with oral disease (-0.08 mmHg, 95% CI: -0.15, -0.009); specifically, among those with loose teeth (P=0.03) and denture-wearers (P<0.0001). mRNFL measurements were lower among those with oral health conditions (-0.14 microns, 95% CI: -0.27, -0.0009), but mGCIPL measurements (P=0.96) were not significantly different. A PRS for IOP or glaucoma did not modify relations between oral health and IOP nor glaucoma (P-for-interactions0.17).

Conclusions: Self-reported oral health was not associated with elevated IOP nor increased risk of glaucoma. Future studies should confirm the null association between clinically diagnosed oral health conditions and glaucoma.

Grants and funding

R01 EY032559/EY/NEI NIH HHS/United States