Acute effects of periodontal therapy on bio-markers of vascular health

Aim: We aimed to study the impact of periodontal therapy on several bio-markers related to vascular health. Material and Methods: Fifty-five consecutive subjects (age range 30-64 years) having severe periodontitis received an intensive session of periodontal therapy under local anaesthesia and provided blood samples before and 1 and 7 and 30 days following therapy. High-sensitivity assays were utilized to quantify serum concentrations of inflammatory markers [interleukin(IL)-1 beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha], plasma haemostatic (D-dimer) and endothelial soluble markers [soluble E-selectin(s-Es) and von Willebrand factor antigen (r-WF:Ag)]. Results: Periodontal therapy elicited a significant activation of the haemostatic system (38% and 68% mean increases of plasma D-dimer 1 and 7 days after therapy, respectively, p < 0.001), together with moderate endothelial dysfunction (10% and 30% mean increases at 24 h in plasma soluble E-selectin, p < 0.05 and von-Willebrand factor, p < 0.01, respectively). D-Dimer and s-Es acute changes were significantly correlated with periodontal treatment time (p < 0.05). Cigarette smoking status and body mass index strongly influenced the acute release of IL-1 beta (p < 0.05), D-dimer (p < 0.01) and s-Es (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Periodontal therapy represents a novel and reliable non-drug-induced model to investigate in vivo the interplay between inflammation, coagulation and endothelial cell activation.