Association among periodontitis severity, anti-agalactosyl immunoglobulin G titer, and the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between the periodontal and serological parameters and the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and between the anti-agalactosyl immunoglobulin G (IgG) titer and periodontitis severity. The objective was also to assess the effect of supragingival scaling on the serological parameters in patients with RA. BACKGROUND The periodontal and serological parameters in relation to the autoimmune inflammatory response have been linked to RA disease activity. However, the association of the anti-agalactosyl IgG titer with RA disease activity and periodontitis severity has not been elucidated. METHODS The periodontal, rheumatologic, and serological data were collected from 127 patients with RA in a retrospective cohort study. Of the 127 patients, 21 had been randomly assigned to receive oral hygiene instruction and supragingival scaling. The anti-agalactosyl IgG titer was determined by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS The patients with a moderate to high RA disease activity showed significantly higher levels of probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide IgG, and anti-agalactosyl IgG titer and greater mean percentages of severe periodontitis than those with a low RA disease activity (p < .05 for all). Both univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a significantly positive correlation between the PD and RA disease activity (p = .009 and p = .001), between the anti-agalactosyl IgG titer and RA disease activity (p = .002 and p < .001), and between the anti-agalactosyl IgG titer and PD (p < .001 for both). Supragingival scaling significantly decreased the anti-agalactosyl IgG titer (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION The PD and anti-agalactosyl IgG titer are positively interrelated, both of which are correlated positively with RA disease activity and influenced by supragingival scaling in patients with RA.