Nonsurgical periodontal therapy decreases the severity of rheumatoid arthritis and the plasmatic and salivary levels of RANKL and Survivin: a short-term clinical study.

Aim To investigate the influence of nonsurgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) on clinical periodontal status, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity, and plasmatic and salivary levels of biomarkers through a controlled clinical trial on individuals with RA and periodontitis (PE). Methods Sixty-six individuals from a convenience sample were considered eligible and consecutively allocated in 3 groups: (1) individuals without PE and RA (-PE-RA, n = 19); (2) individuals without PE and with RA (-PE+RA, n = 23), and (3) individuals with PE and RA (+PE+RA, n = 24). Full-mouth periodontal clinical examinations, Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) evaluations, and analysis in plasma and saliva of RANKL, OPG, RANKL/OPG, and Survivin were performed at baseline (T1) and 45 days after NSPT (T2). Results NSPT in the +PE+RA group was very effective to improve periodontal condition. At T2, significant reductions in DAS-28 were observed in +PE+RA (p = 0.011). Significantly higher levels of Survivin and RANKL were observed in saliva and plasma from RA individuals (with and without PE) compared to controls. Additionally, Survivin e RANKL demonstrated positive correlations with DAS-28 and an expressively significant reduction in +PE+RA at T2 (p Conclusions NSPT was effective on improving both the periodontal and the RA clinical status and reducing the concentration of Survivin and RANKL in saliva and plasma. Practical implications Nonsurgical periodontal treatment was effective on reducing the concentration of Survivin and RANKL and on improving both the periodontal and the RA clinical status of affected individuals. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC) protocol #RBR-8g2bc8 ( http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-8g2bc8/ ).