C-reactive protein linked to periodontal disease, Finds study

The study is published in the International Journal of Periodontology and Implantology.

Oral fluids are a substrate for a new generation of non-invasive diagnostic tools through the development of ultra- and high-sensitive detection systems and the fact that they contain many serum analytes that reflect normal function or disease status.

Within the oral cavity C-reactive protein (CRP) has been detected in both gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and saliva and is considered to be an important biomarker for systemic disease.

Avneesh Tejnani and colleagues from the Dept. of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, MGM Dental College Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra India carried out the present review to assess the biological properties of CRP, the association between CRP and periodontal disease, and the possibility that CRP may be a potent therapeutic target.

A systematic search for data related to the association between CRP and periodontal disease was performed to recognize studies on animals and human.

The following findings were revealed-

1. Serum CRP exhibits a tendency to be lowered in periodontitis patients responding best to treatment, those with highest CRP at baseline, and those without other systemic conditions that can increase systemic CRP.
2. Furthermore, it may take up to 6 months for periodontal treatment to have a significant effect on systemic CRP.
3. There is a possible dose-response relationship between the extent of resolution o periodontal infection and the level of reduction in systemic inflammatory markers.
4. However, the relationship between periodontal disease and CRP is complex, with no correlation between the severity of periodontal disease and CRP at baseline.
5. Other factors seem to play a significant role in the overall level of CRP, such as the underlying genotype of the patient.

Based on the facts, the authors concluded that "there is certainly a relationship between both periodontal disease and systemic disease with CRP, which is an important one, as highlighted by recent consensus recommendations. Patients with moderate to severe periodontitis ought to be informed that there may be an elevated risk for atherosclerotic CVD related with periodontitis, and that systemic assessment of patients with periodontitis must take account of systemic CRP levels."

However, the character of this relationship is ambiguous and periodontal therapy may be only one facet of CRP reduction in periodontitis patients at risk of CVD, but so far there are no means to identify which patients are expected to gain largely from intervention.

In addition, there is no concrete evidence that periodontal therapy can in fact decrease cardiovascular events, they further inferred.