Effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy on the levels of C- reactive protein: a pilot study

Purpose: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation that is naturally present in the plasma at levels that may rise due to inflammatory processes, associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction. Periodontal disease is responsible for a host immune-inflammatory response, contributing towards clarifying its association with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of periodontal therapy on the levels of this inflammatory marker. Methods: The sample consisted of 62 patients of both genders, between the ages of 30 to 60 years, who were referred to dental treatment at the Bahia Foundation for the Development of Sciences, and they were divided into two groups: with and without periodontitis. The clinical descriptors used were the bleeding index, gingival recession, probing depth and clinical attachment level. For CRP analysis, peripheral blood was collected from these individuals and sent to a single clinical analysis laboratory. Results: The group with periodontitis was treated and the results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the CRP levels before and after periodontal treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion: From the final findings, it may be concluded that non-surgical periodontal therapy showed a tendency to reduce the CRP serum levels.