In this study, chronic periodontitis is associated with elevated plasma CRP levels, even after controlling for several potential confounders.

Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and low educational levels have a greater chance of having periodontal disease than do those without osteoporosis.

The influence of oral infections, especially periodontal disease, on systemic diseases has been extensively discussed in the literature. Because periodontal disease is a persistent infection, it promotes an inflammatory response. C-reactive protein is a marker for inflammatory reactions that is frequently studied, since elevated levels of this protein are related to coronary events.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periodontal therapy on reducing the serum levels of C-reactive protein, by means of a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.Material and MethodsA systematic review of the English-language literature was conducted in the PUBMED-MEDLINE database, using the key words "periodontal disease", "C-reactive protein", "periodontal therapy" and "periodontal treatment", in accordance with the terms for Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), to evaluate the effect of periodontal therapy on C-reactive protein levels. A qualitative analysis of studies of randomized clinical trial design was performed using CONSORT, with subsequent meta-analysis.ResultsThe literature search initially retrieved 46 potentially relevant studies available in the databases. From these, in accordance with the inclusion criteria, only 11 were selected, of which only 4 fulfilled the criteria of randomized clinical trial design. According to CONSORT, the studies evaluated generally presented good quality with regard to the criteria analyzed. Through meta-analysis, the reduction in mean levels of C-reactive protein (-0.231; p=0.000) after introducing periodontal treatment was estimated. The result was statistically significant, without evidence of heterogeneity between the studies (p=0.311).ConclusionsThe findings indicated that non-surgical periodontal treatment had a positive effect with regard to reduction of the serum levels of C-reactive protein.

This suggests that periodontal therapy is a protective factor for birthweight.

In the majority of observations, it was concluded that there was a relationship among age, gingival width, and probing depth, but generally not among race and gender and these measurements, respectively. Furthermore, there is no relation between gender and gingival width and race and probing depth.