Degree of gingivitis correlates to systemic inflammation parameters

Background: Investigation of interrelations between periodontal and systemic inflammatory parameters in periodontal health. Methods: 40 periodontally healthy (probing pocket depths [PPD]<3.6 mm and from 3.6 mm to 4 mm without bleeding on probing [BOP]; up to 2 sites with a PPD from 3.6 mm to 5 mm and BOP or up to 4 sites with a PPD from 3.6 mm to 5 mm without BOP were accepted; BOP <= 14%) probands 23 to 44 years of age without any known actual infectious or inflammatory diseases were examined. Clinical parameters and blood samples were obtained. The blood was analyzed for C-reactive protein (CRP), elastase, and leukocyte counts. Regression models were calculated to explain the variation of the dependent variables serum CRP, elastase, and leukocytes (independent variables: sex, age, PCR, BOP, smoking, PPD). Results: The sample was characterized as: GBI: 2.9 +/- 2.0%; PCR: 14.9 +/- 8.2%; PPD: 2.0 +/- 0.2 mm; AL: 0.4 +/- 0.3 mm; BOP: 7.0 +/- 1.9%; leukocytes: 6.2 +/- 1.1/nl; (median/interquartile range) CRP: 0.062/0.04-0.107) mg/dl; elastase: 9.075/7.375-12.2 ng/ml. Inflammatory parameters were influenced by the following factors: CRP: female (p=0.008), PPD (p=0.15); elastase: female (p=0.002), PPD (p=0.005), BOP (p=0.141): leukocytes: female (p=0.061), pack years (p=0.061), PCR (p=0.082). Conclusions: The levels of all investigated systemic inflammation parameters were higher in females than in males. Both serum CRP and elastase correlated even in periodontally healthy with mean PPD. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.