Background   Periodontal disease has become the main cause of tooth loss among adults in China. Previous studies have shown that there is a certain connection between periodontitis and sleep conditions, and the severity of periodontitis may be related to sleep, anxiety and depression, but the specific relationship is still unclear.

  Objective   To study whether chronic periodontitis and its severity are related to sleep quality, anxiety and depression in the elderly.

  Methods   Totally 140 people (over 60 years old) who were admitted to the department of stomatology of our center from June to November in 2020 were collected. The general information survey form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9) were applied, and complete periodontal examinations were performed on the subjects. The subjects were divided into periodontitis group and control group according to whether they had periodontitis. According to the diagnostic criteria for periodontitis recommended by the Center for Disease Control of the American Academy of Periodontology, patients with periodontitis were divided into mild periodontitis group, moderate periodontitis group and severe periodontitis group. The differences in scores of scales mentioned above between these groups were compared.

  Results   The total score of PSQI in the periodontitis group was higher than that of the control group (64, 8 vs 52.25, 7, P=0.029). The sleep quality score (MdIQR: 10, 1 vs 00, 1), sleep latency score (MdIQR: 11, 2 vs 10, 1) and sleep efficiency score (MdIQR: 10, 2 vs 00, 1) of the periodontitis group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P＜0.05, respectively). The total score of the PSQI in the moderate group and the severe periodontitis group was higher than that in the mild periodontitis group (7.38 ± 4.45 and 8.00 ± 5.12 vs 5.48 ± 2.29, P＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the scores of GAD-7 scale and PHQ-9 between the periodontitis group and the control group. Logistic regression analysis Showed PSQI was associated with periodontitis, with the OR of 1.138 (95% CI: 1.010 to 1.282).

  Conclusion   Periodontitis may affect the sleep quality in the elderly; poor sleep quality is associated with periodontitis. However, the correlation between periodontitis and anxiety and depression still requires long-term follow-up and further studies.