Original Article

Periodontal Alteration of the Microcirculation and Hypercholesterolemia: A Possible Correlation?

Authors: Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina, DMD, Teresa Pisano, DMD, Antonino Cacioppo, DMD, Pietro Messina, MD

Abstract

Objective: We evaluated the morphological and parametric characteristics of the periodontal microcirculation in patients diagnosed as having hypercholesterolemia and high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL).


Methods: Forty patients were recruited, 20 of whom were affected by hypercholesterolemia and 20 of whom were considered healthy. A videocapillaroscopic examination was carried out on the periodontal mucosa in the proximity of the frenulum (II, V sextant).


Results: The difference between the parameters of the hypercholesterolemia group and the control group was evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U-test for non-parametric ordinal data; the level of significance being P < 0.05. The videocapillaroscopy documented extremely significant differences between the two groups, regarding the following parameters: total diameter of the loop (P = 0.0017), diameter of the afferent loops (P = 0.0004), diameter of the efferent loops (P = 0.00008) and periodontal density (P = 0.0001).


Conclusions: The capillaroscopic examination revealed a morphological alteration of the periodontal microcirculation in patients with hypercholesterolemia, which is an expression of peripheral vascular phlogosis.


Key Points


* Our findings showed an association between hyperlipidemia and periodontal morphological microcirculation.


* Local inflammatory processes may provoke a systemic response in the host, which means that subjects with periodontal disease may have an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.


* The observed changes in lipid metabolism could either be the cause or the consequence of periodontal disease.

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