Serum vitamin C-periodontal relationship in community-dwelling elderly Japanese.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between serum vitamin C and periodontitis as estimated by clinical attachment loss (CAL) in community-dwelling elderly Japanese.


METHODS
This analysis was confined to 413 Niigata citizens aged 70 years in whom the data for serum vitamin C and CAL were available. High-pressure liquid chromatography method was used to ascertain the serum vitamin C levels while CAL was assessed on six sites of all teeth present including third molars by means of pressure-sensitive probes. Other variables included gender, smoking, toothbrushing frequency, number of teeth present and random blood sugar levels.


RESULTS
Serum vitamin C concentration was inversely related to CAL (r=-0.23, p<0.00005) at bivariate level. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CAL was 4% greater in subjects with lower serum vitamin C levels than in subjects with higher serum vitamin C levels notwithstanding smoking, diabetes, oral hygiene, gender or number of teeth present.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggested that serum vitamin C might have relatively weak but a statistically significant relationship with periodontitis in this elderly population.
Amarasena
N
N
Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Oral Health Science, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
Ogawa
H
H
Yoshihara
A
A
Hanada
N
N
Miyazaki
H
H
D000368:Aged; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000097:blood*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood*
D001205:Ascorbic Acid