title: Influence of obesity and hypertension on the severity of periodontitis in rats.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the extent to which obesity and/or hypertension may modify the response of rats' periodontium to chronic gingival irritation. Forty-four normal, spontaneously hypertensive, obese, and obese-hypertensive rats were used. Histopathologic evaluation of the periodontal structure showed both hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the walls of blood vessels supplying the periodontium in the hypertensive and obese-hypertensive animals. The results also indicated that obesity significantly contributed to e severity of periodontal disease. Hypertension alone was not a significant factor. The obese-hypertensive rats showed the most severe periodontal response to local irritation.
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000473:pathology; D004846:Epithelial Attachment / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000209:etiology*; D010519:Periodontium / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats