ABSTRACT
Corticosteroids (Cs) are used widely for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. However their long-term administration may lead to impaired periodontal health. The aim of the present study was to clinically assess the periodontal status in patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy. Periodontal health of 100 patients under long-term corticosteroid therapy for a minimum of 6 months duration was compared with sex- and age-matched 100 healthy controls. The periodontal examination included measuring oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S), gingival index (GI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). The results showed that mean values of OHI-S, GI and SBI did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between cases and controls. Mean PPD and CAL was significantly higher in cases when compared to the controls (p = 0.0003). Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that there is a positive correlation between periodontal status and long term steroid therapy.