Is periodontitis a risk factor for ischaemic stroke, coronary artery disease and subclinical atherosclerosis? A Mendelian randomization study

Background and aimsObservational studies have reported an association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease but whether this association is causal is uncertain. We therefore used Mendelian randomization to test whether periodontitis is causally associated with stroke, coronary artery disease, or subclinical atherosclerosis.MethodsA two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was carried out using five single nucleotide polymorphisms...