Aims To examine whether overweight and obesity indicators – body mass index, waist circumference, and waist circumference-to-height ratio – predict progression of periodontal disease in men. Materials and Methods Participants were 1038 medically healthy, non-Hispanic, white males in the VA Dental Longitudinal Study who were monitored with triennial oral and medical examinations between 1969 and 1996. Periodontal disease progression in an individual was defined as having 2 or more teeth advance to levels of alveolar bone loss ≥40%, probing pocket depth ≥5mm, or clinical attachment loss ≥5mm after baseline. Extended Cox regression analyses estimated hazards of experiencing periodontal disease progression events due to overweight/obesity status, controlling for age, smoking, education, diabetes, recent periodontal treatment, recent prophylaxis, and number of filled/decayed surfaces. Results Body mass index and waist circumference-to-height ratio were significantly associated with hazards of experiencing periodontal disease progression events regardless of periodontal disease indicator. Adjusted hazard ratios for periodontal disease progression were 41-72% higher in obese men (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) relative to men with both normal weight and waist circumference-to-height ratio (≤50%). Conclusion Both overall obesity and central adiposity are associated with an increased hazards of periodontal disease progression events in men.

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