title: Periodontal disease is significantly higher in non-smoking treatment-naive rheumatoid arthritis patients: results from a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find the strength of association between periodontal disease (PD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in non-smoking, disease modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive RA patients in a case-control design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients of RA (DMARD-naive, non-smokers) satisfying the American college of Rheumatology 1987 criteria and healthy controls were included. PD was defined as present if the mean pocket depth (MPD) is ≥3 mm. Demographic data and disease specific variables were recorded for RA patients and healthy controls. Titres of immunoglobulin M-rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF) and anticitrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) were measured using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with RA (n=91) had a 4.28 (CI 2.35 to 7.38) higher odds of PD (64.8% vs 28%, p<0.001) compared with healthy controls (n=93). The MPD was 3.61±1.22 mm in cases and 2.46±0.74 mm in controls (p<0.001). IgM-RF titres (110.56±95.81 vs 66.53±70.29; p=0.02) and ACPA titres (753.05±1088.27 vs 145.15±613.16, p=0.001) were significantly higher in RA patients with PD than those without PD. The MPD positively correlated with titres of ACPAs in RA patients (r=0.24; p=0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PD is more frequent and severe in non-smoking DMARD-naive RA patients compared with healthy controls. PD in RA is associated with high titres of ACPAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad 500082, India.
authors.forename: Damodaram
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Potikuri
authors.forename: Kalyan Chakravarthy
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Dannana
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanchinadam
authors.forename: Sumeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Anuradha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kancharla
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajasekhar
authors.forename: Shantakumari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pothuraju
authors.forename: Narsimulu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gumdal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D012907:Smoking / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies