Serum lipoproteins and chronic periodontitis – A diagnostic dilemma

ObjectiveTo check whether any association can be established between chronic periodontitis and abnormal serum lipoproteins levels.MethodsA case–control study was designed including 72 subjects (both male and female) falling in the age group of 30–60 years, reporting to the department of periodontology of Faculty of dental sciences; of which, 37 were established as cases, and 35 were identified as controls based on clinical and periodontal parameters. Clinical parameters included serum lipoproteins such as high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), cholesterol, and triglycerides, and the periodontal parameters included clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD).ResultsA statistically significant increase in the incidence of periodontitis was noticed with increasing age (p = 0.05). However, a comparison of gender with incidence of periodontitis failed to reveal significant results (p > 0.087). Statistically significant results were not obtained (p > 0.05), when mean values for each variable viz. HDL, LDL, Cholesterol and TG were compared among cases and controls.ConclusionNo statistically significant results could be established; as a result, more samples along with controlled confounding factors need to be judged to establish any possible link between chronic periodontitis and abnormal serum lipoprotein levels.