The impact of periodontal treatment on inflammatory markers and cellular parameters associated with atherosclerosis in patients after myocardial infarction

Introduction
The aim of this study was to analyze whether periodontal treatment affects the cardiovascular risk profile of patients after myocardial infarction (MI).

Material and methods
The study included 30 patients with chronic periodontitis (ChP). Sociodemographic and medical variables were collected. Patients were provided with scaling and root planing (SRP) 3 months after MI (1st visit). Periodontal examination and blood tests were performed immediately before SRP, then 1 month and 6 months after treatment (2nd and 3rd visit, respectively).

Results
A statistically significant decrease in blood hsCRP concentration and a decrease in the number of white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils between the first and the second visit were observed. At 6 months after SRP, the mean platelet volume (MPV) had increased with respect to the value at 1 month after treatment. Multivariate analysis showed that the associations between: 1) change in LDL-C concentration and change in approximal plaque index value (b = –0.546, p = 0.005); 2) change in the number of monocytes and change in the plaque index value (b = 0.616, p = 0.01); 3) change in MPV and change in probing pocket depth (b = 0.567, p = 0.018) are all independent of the classic cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions
The obtained results indicate the existence of a relationship between the state of periodontal tissues on one hand and mediators of atherosclerosis and the number of immunologically competent cells on the other hand.