Evaluation of C-Reactive Protein Levels in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease and Periodontitis: A Cross Sectional Study

Background and Aim: Several studies have shown elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels in patients with chronic periodontitis. In addition to periodontitis, CRP being a marker of systemic inflammation, is also used in studies predicting CVD such as myocardial infarction, stroke, acute coronary syndromes and peripheral arterial disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of CRP in patients with CVD only, CVD and periodontitis and periodontitis only. Materials & Methods: The study involved 45 patients aged between 35 years-65 years. Periodontal disease status was determined using parameters like Gingival Index, Plaque Index, Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL). A blood sample was obtained from the patient for evaluating CRP levels. For statistical analysis of assessment between the association of several parameters with patient characteristics, Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was practiced and its significance was verified with t-test. Results: The present study did not show any significant association between CRP levels of the three study groups. Conclusion: This study indicated that periodontal disease may add an inflammatory burden of the individual thus increasing the risk of future CVD, the results however were not statistically significant. Randomized controlled clinical trials with large sample size and control of confounding factors are needed to evaluate this relationship between periodontal disease, CRP and CVD.