title: Elevation of white blood cells and platelet counts in patients having chronic periodontitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many risk factors that might contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis have been proposed, including chronic inflammation and infection. Furthermore, systemic inflammatory responses to periodontal bacteria have been suggested as a pathogenetic link between periodontal disease and atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to estimate the white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts in chronic periodontitis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients with chronic periodontitis and 50 patients with healthy periodontium were included in this study. Oral hygiene status, pocket probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured. During clinical evaluation, venous blood samples were taken to analyze the WBC and platelet counts. Statistical analysis was utilized to compare differences across groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Periodontitis patients demonstrated a significantly higher WBC count (7.22 ± 1.42 × 10(9) cells/L) than that of control patients (5.64 ± 1.56 × 10(9) cells/L; P < 0.001). The platelet count of patients with chronic periodontitis (290.73 ± 56.56 × 10(9) cells/L) was also significantly higher compared to the healthy group (223.37 ± 50.27 × 10(9) cells/L; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Levels of WBCs and platelets are elevated in periodontitis patients compared to healthy controls.
authors: Department of Periodontics and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Abdulaziz
authors: A
authors: Al-Rasheed
keywords: Coronary heart disease; Oral conditions; Periodontitis; RBC; Systematic disease; Thrombocyte; WBC
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