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The importance of assessing confounding and effect modification in research involving periodontal disease and systemic diseases

The importance of assessing confounding and effect modification in research involving periodontal... This issue includes an interesting and timely paper by Ylöstalo and Knuuttila that explores the concepts of confounding and effect modification. It illustrates the importance of recognizing and properly accounting for them in the design and analysis of studies of periodontal diseases. Confounding and effect modification are of increasing importance as periodontal research addresses the putative associations between periodontal disease and systemic diseases. This is especially pertinent when dealing with smoking as smoking is a major risk factor for both periodontal disease and a number of systemic diseases. As a result, it is very difficult to disentangle the effects of smoking and periodontal disease in studies of systemic diseases ( Spiekerman et al. 2003 ). Moreover, smoking has already been identified as an effect modifier in the associations between periodontal disease and both coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( Hyman et al. 2002, Hyman & Reid 2004 ). Unfortunately, the importance of confounding and effect modification are not always appreciated and are often overlooked. They may also appear to be similar but they are actually very different. Our goals in controlling them are also different. “In epidemiologic analysis one tries to eliminate confounding, but one http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Clinical Periodontology Wiley

The importance of assessing confounding and effect modification in research involving periodontal disease and systemic diseases

Hyman, Jeffrey
Journal of Clinical Periodontology , Volume 33 (2) – Feb 1, 2006
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References (14)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0303-6979
eISSN
1600-051X
DOI
10.1111/j.1600-051X.2005.00881.x
pmid
16441732
Publisher site
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Abstract

This issue includes an interesting and timely paper by Ylöstalo and Knuuttila that explores the concepts of confounding and effect modification. It illustrates the importance of recognizing and properly accounting for them in the design and analysis of studies of periodontal diseases. Confounding and effect modification are of increasing importance as periodontal research addresses the putative associations between periodontal disease and systemic diseases. This is especially pertinent when dealing with smoking as smoking is a major risk factor for both periodontal disease and a number of systemic diseases. As a result, it is very difficult to disentangle the effects of smoking and periodontal disease in studies of systemic diseases ( Spiekerman et al. 2003 ). Moreover, smoking has already been identified as an effect modifier in the associations between periodontal disease and both coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( Hyman et al. 2002, Hyman & Reid 2004 ). Unfortunately, the importance of confounding and effect modification are not always appreciated and are often overlooked. They may also appear to be similar but they are actually very different. Our goals in controlling them are also different. “In epidemiologic analysis one tries to eliminate confounding, but one

Journal

Journal of Clinical Periodontology – Wiley

Published: Feb 1, 2006

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