Periodontal disease in acute coronary syndrome patients

Purpose: This pilot study assessed the periodontal status and biomarkers of systemic inflammation in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Methods: 15 ACS patients on statin (anti-cholesterol) therapy, were recruited into the study an average of 9 months after discharge from university hospital. Blood and mouthrinse samples were collected for analysis of inflammatory biomarkers including high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IL-6, IL-lß, TNF-a, and MMP-9. Full-mouth periodontal examination, including pocket depth (PD), clinical attachment levels (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and tooth mobility, was performed. Results: When their periodontal status was assessed by C A L, 100% of these statin-treated ACS patients exhibited moderate (66.7%) to severe (33.3%) periodontal disease, which appears to be higher than the rate described for the general adult population (i.e., 47% for periodontitis). In addition, (1) their blood hsCRP levels ranged from 0.94 to 12.6 mg/L with a mean of 3.41 mg/L, which is considered high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in spite of their statin therapy, and (2) the data demonstrated a positive correlation between severe periodontitis and elevated blood hsCRP levels (P< 0.05), consistent with systemic inflammation.