title: Periodontal inflammatory burden correlates with C-reactive protein serum level.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of study was to present a new method for evaluation of the periodontal inflammatory burden, to apply the method to the adult population and to correlate it with serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP).
  
  
  METHODS
  On 515 extracted teeth was measured the neck circumferences (NC). The average values of the NC were obtained for 16 male and 16 female individual tooth types. In the clinical part of this study 238 dentate subjects were included. The subgingival area, inflamed area and periodontal wound size were calculated from NC, probing depth and BOP. The sum of the inflamed and ulcerated subgingival areas of all teeth represented the total periodontal inflammatory burden of an individual. Serum levels of CRP were measured by immunochemical method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average subgingival area in 238 subjects was calculated to be 13.11 ± 6.35 cm(2) and inflammatory burden area 9.25 ± 5.57 cm(2). The periodontal bleeding wound (p < 0.05) was significantly larger in men. The increased serum levels of CRP correlated with periodontal inflammatory burden (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This new method quantifies the inflammatory burden caused by periodontal disease. The size of the inflammatory burden is correlated with increased serum levels of CRP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. eva.skaleric@mf.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skaleric
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petelin
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaspirc
authors.forename: Uros
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Skaleric
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein