Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jan;24(1):17-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2011.10.006. Epub 2011 Dec 2.

Elevation of white blood cells and platelet counts in patients having chronic periodontitis

Abdulaziz Al-Rasheed  1
Affiliations

Elevation of white blood cells and platelet counts in patients having chronic periodontitis

Abdulaziz Al-Rasheed. Saudi Dent J. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Background and aim: Many risk factors that might contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis have been proposed, including chronic inflammation and infection. Furthermore, systemic inflammatory responses to periodontal bacteria have been suggested as a pathogenetic link between periodontal disease and atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to estimate the white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts in chronic periodontitis patients.

Materials and methods: Fifty patients with chronic periodontitis and 50 patients with healthy periodontium were included in this study. Oral hygiene status, pocket probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured. During clinical evaluation, venous blood samples were taken to analyze the WBC and platelet counts. Statistical analysis was utilized to compare differences across groups.

Results: Periodontitis patients demonstrated a significantly higher WBC count (7.22 ± 1.42 × 10(9) cells/L) than that of control patients (5.64 ± 1.56 × 10(9) cells/L; P < 0.001). The platelet count of patients with chronic periodontitis (290.73 ± 56.56 × 10(9) cells/L) was also significantly higher compared to the healthy group (223.37 ± 50.27 × 10(9) cells/L; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Levels of WBCs and platelets are elevated in periodontitis patients compared to healthy controls.

Keywords: Coronary heart disease; Oral conditions; Periodontitis; RBC; Systematic disease; Thrombocyte; WBC.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The WBC and platelet profile in periodontitis and healthy subjects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ainamo J., Bay I. Problems and proposals for recording gingivitis and plaque. Int. Dent. J. 1975;25(4):229–235. - PubMed
    1. Buhlin K., Gustafsson A., Pockley A.G., Frostegard J., Klinge B. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with periodontitis. Eur. Heart J. 2003;24(23):2099–2107. - PubMed
    1. Christan C., Dietrich T., Hägewald S., Kage A., Bernimoulin J. White blood cell count in generalized aggressive periodontitis after non-surgical therapy. J. Clin. Periodontol. 2002;29(3):201–206. - PubMed
    1. D’Aiuto F., Parkar M., Andreou G., Suvan J., Brett P.M., Ready D., Tonetti M.S. Periodontitis and systemic inflammation: control of the local infection is associated with a reduction in serum inflammatory markers. J. Dent. Res. 2004;83(2):156–160. - PubMed
    1. Danesh J., Muir J., Wong Y., Ward M., Gallimore J., Pepys M. Risk factors for coronary heart disease and acute-phase proteins. A population-based study. Eur. Heart J. 1999;20(13):954–959. - PubMed