Periodontal care may improve systemic inflammation

Abstract

Background: Periodontitis is an infectious chronic insidious disease of the tooth supporting structures that causes a general inflammatory response. The aims of the study were to determine whether periodontitis is associated with markers of general inflammation high-sensitivity (hs) C-reactive protien (CRP) leading to cardiovascular disease, and whether proper management of the periodontal disease would improve inflammation and thus, may prevent cardiovascular disease in the future. Methods: This was a prospective case-controlled pilot study. Nine patients (3 women, 6 men; 40±5 yr) took part. All had severe periodontitis, without systemic disorders, and were all treated conservativelly without surgical intervention. All had a 2nd visit after 3 months of treatment at the Outpatient Dental Clinic of the Hospital. Periodontal status and hs-CRP were evaluated on entry to the study and 3 months after treatment. Nine age and sex-matched healthy volunteers without periodontal disease served as the control group. Results: Periodontal clinical parameters were improved after 3 months' treatment: probing depth (PD) (mean) at baseline was 4.3 and after 3 months’ treatment improved to 3.2 (P=0.001), clinical attachment level (CAL) (mean) was 4.6 and changed to 3.7 (P=0.01), bleeding on probing (BOP %) changed from 64% to 33% (P=0.001), and Plaque index (Pi) changed from 49% to 25% (P=0.001). hs-CRP level was different between the patients’group (pre treatment) and the healthy volunteers: 2.97±0.58 mg/L vs. 0.25±0.14 mg/L (P=0.00002). After completing 3 months' treatment, hs-CRP levels were decreased from 2.97±0.58 mg/L to 2.3±0.7 mg/L (P=0.009). Conclusions: Periodontitis is an infectious condition that may be an insidious cause of chronic inflammation and may be a risk factor for future cardiovascular disease. Treating periodontitis improved inflammation, and might be used as an important prevention tool for cardiovascular disease.

Comparative evaluation of levels of C-reactive protein and PMN in periodontitis patients related to cardiovascular disease

“…In the present study, subjects with CVDs and chronic periodontitis and only chronic periodontitis without CVD showed a significant association between the number of mean Probing depth (PD) and increased (CRP) when compared with control. This finding is in correlation with studies conducted by Aluto et al .,[7] who showed periodontitis had significant increased odds of being at above average risk for CVD. Recently Salzberg et al .…”

Investigating the Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Periodontitis

“…A pilot study performed by Gunaratnam et al 20 found a higher prevalence of periodontitis among patients with OSA, suggesting a possible association between OSA and periodontitis. Because treatment of periodontitis has been shown to improve systemic inflammation, metabolic control of glycemia, and parameters of vascular health, 21,22 treatment of periodontitis may prove to be one of the future, novel ways to improve OSA.…”

Cross‐Sectional Association Between Number of Teeth and High‐Sensitivity C‐Reactive Protein Among Middle‐Aged Germans

“…A possible explanation for the lack of association between number of teeth and hsCRP is that number of teeth has a minimal effect on hsCRP (which is a rather stable marker of ongoing inflammation) compared to other CVD risk factors, especially in the interim. Second, participants with few teeth will apparently preserve them in optimal health through extensive professional periodontal care that might have a direct impact on reducing hsCRP 33 . The generally higher hsCRP in the second subsample (with a higher average age and a slightly lower number of teeth than the first subsample) implies that tooth loss occurring slowly during a lifetime favors elevation of hsCRP compared to considerable tooth loss early in life.…”