Study: Gum disease linked to higher medical costs

Apr 15, 2009

Preliminary results from a new Cigna study support the potential association between untreated periodontal disease and increased medical costs for patients being treated for stroke or diabetes, according to the company.

The preliminary findings of the ongoing three-year claims study were presented by Dr. Clay Hedlund, a Cigna dental director, and Marjorie Jeffcoat, D.M.D., dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and a Cigna Dental Clinical Advisory Panel member, during the recent International Association for Dental Research (IADR) meeting in Miami.

"While more study is needed, the results of our research to date are compelling and support a possible association between the treatment of gum disease and lower medical costs in the treatment of stroke and diabetes," said Dr. Hedlund in a release. "We observed that patients who were in maintenance care for gum disease, meaning they received treatment for the disease previously and were now receiving maintenance care, had lower medical costs than those people undergoing initial treatment for gum disease."

On average, medical costs were $10,142 per year less for stroke patients and $1,418 per year lower for diabetes patients, he added.

Though the link between periodontal disease and other health problems has not yet been firmly established, "the association is a concern," Dr. Jeffcoat said.

The length of the study period was three full years, 2005 to 2007. It included an examination of medical and dental claims of more than 30,000 individuals ages 18 to 62 who were enrolled in both Cigna medical and Cigna dental plans. The medical cost analysis included 1,136 patients from this group who received treatment for diabetes or cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and received concurrent treatment or maintenance care for gum disease during the three-year study period.

Two different groups of patients with gum disease were then compared. Individuals in the first group received initial treatment for gum disease during the first (baseline) year of the study. Individuals in the second group received treatment for periodontal disease prior to the baseline year, and received periodontal maintenance care throughout the three years of the study.

These preliminary results are part of a larger and ongoing research project, expected to be completed later this year, which will permit a more precise estimate of cost savings.