The Evaluation of the C Reactive Protein Levels in the Context of the Periodontal Pathogens Presence in Cardiovascular Risk Patients
The purpose of this study was to investigate the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) values in the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, T. denticola or T. forsythia bacteria, as an indicator of the cardiovascular risk. The study consisted of 64 male and female subjects, aged 55 to 75 years. Subjects were periodontal examined, serum CRP was analyzed, and Porphyromonas gingivalis, A. actinomycetemcomitans, T. forsythia and T. denticola from the subgingival bacterial plaque were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Pathogen prevalence rates were: 45.0% P. gingivalis; 20.5% A. actino-mycetemcomitans; 86.1% T. forsythia; 86.3% T. denticola. The mean CRP was 1.5 (IQR 1.0-2.6) mg / L. There was a significant difference in CRP values between subjects who had P. gingivalis compared to those without (p = 0.003). There were no significant differences for any of the other pathogens. The presence of P. gingivalis was associated with a 1.20-fold increase in CRP. Of the four periodontal pathogens investigated, only the presence of P. gingivalis in subgingival plate samples was significantly associated with a high level of C-reactive protein.