Comparison of C - reactive protein Levels in Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Normal Subjects

Background: Chronic periodontitis causes systemic inflammation and increases C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP has been implicated as a possible mediator of associating periodontitis and several systemic diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate systemic levels of CRP in patients with chronic periodontitis in comparison to periodontally healthy individuals.    Materials and methods: A total of 80 individuals were included in this study. 40 patients with severe chronic periodontitis aged 40, and 40 sex matched periodontally healthy subjects were recruited from the patients attending Dpartment of Periodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Zahedan. Body Mass Index (BMI) was under 25 kg/m2 in all the patients and controls. Peripheral blood samples were taken and CRP levels were estimated in serum samples using the C - reactive protein – hs (CRP-hs) LATEX – High sensitivity (Biosystem S.A).  Result: CRP levels in women in the test group (3.64 +- 2.77 mg/l) was significantly higher than the women in the control group (p < 0.001); however, the difference between males in the two study groups was not significant (p=0.13). Conclusion: Periodontitis results in higher systemic levels of CRP. Elevated inflammatory factor may increase inflammatory activity in atherosclerotic lesions and potentially increase the risk for cardiovascular events.