Estimate of CRP and TNF-alpha level before and after periodontal therapy in cardiovascular disease patients

Introduction: Epidemiological studies show that individuals with periodontitis have a radically amplified threat to develop cardiovascular disease. CRP& TNF-alpha, are acute phase proteins monitored as a marker of inflammatory status, which have been identified as a major risk factor for atherosclerotic complications. Elevated CRP & TNF-alpha level in periodontitis patients have been reported by several groups. The present study was performed to determine whether presence of periodontitis and periodontal therapy could influence the serum levels of CRP & TNF-alpha in cardiovascular disease patients. Methods: Forty cardiovascular disease subjects participated in the study. They were classified into two groups. Group A (Control) where no periodontal treatment was given, Group B (Test) where periodontal treatment (scaling & root planing) was performed. Periodontal clinical parameters like OHI-S, probing pocket depth, were evaluated together with serum CRP, TNF-a, at baseline and reassessed after 8 weeks for all the subjects in both the groups. Results: The CRP & TNF-alpha levels in both the groups decreased but the decrease in the Group A was minimal and was not statistically significant (P>0.05); whereas in Group B where periodontal therapy was performed, there was statistically significant decrease. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that there can be a possible causal relationship between pathogenesis of periodontal disease and CVD as inferred from the statistical significant outcome in the form of decreased inflammatory biomarkers after the periodontal treatment.