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 protein (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 conservatively 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.