Relationship between Oxidative Stress and Oral Disease in a Rural Cambodian Population: Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in a Developing Country

Abstract

In rural areas of developing countries, rapid aging and reduced life expectancy have been observed, and it has been hypothesized that excess oxidative stress is one cause of rapid aging. Oral disease may contribute to one of the risk factors in the production of oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of oral disease on oxidative stress in the rural Cambodian population. Eighty-seven subjects living in the rural area in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia were examined as a target group, and data were obtained regarding caries experience, probing pocket depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). The level of oxidative stress was evaluated by the diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) test. The results revealed that the level of d-ROMs correlated with their age, the number of healthy teeth (HT), the number of missing teeth (MT), the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index, the number of present teeth (PT), the rate of≥4mm PD, and the BOP rate. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, the BOP rate was the most influential parameter linking to the production of oxidative stress as an independent variable. HT was secondary, followed by the number of filled teeth (FT). A control group, 30 residents of Phnom Penh City within an urban environment, was compared with the target group. The target group had significantly higher levels of oxidative stress, caries experience,periodontal status, and diastolic blood pressure (BP). The findings of this study indicate that periodontal disease may increase the production of oxidative stress, and the data obtained suggest that HT and FT contribute to the reduction of the level of oxidative stress.