Assessment of myocardial strain in hypertensive patients with periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular (LV) relaxation is affected by hypertension. The inflammatory mediators produced in response to systemic inflammation, such as in periodontal disease, may also alter ventricular mechanics and the existing ventricular dysfunction. Thus, the systemic inflammatory burden which occurs in response to chronic periodontitis may alter myocardial activity. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to assess the myocardial strain among controlled hypertensive patients with periodontitis by using two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 150 controlled hypertensive patients, equally divided into group A (without periodontitis) and group B (with periodontitis). The cardiac strain was measured with 2D echocardiography and represented as global longitudinal strain (GLS), while the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) score quantified the systemic inflammatory burden experienced by these individuals due to chronic periodontitis. RESULTS: In the multiple linear regression model, the adjusted R2 for group B indicated that 88% of the variation in GLS was due to the independent variable (PISA). Thus, with every one-unit rise in PISA, there was a mild alteration in GLS of 7.54 × 10-5. A scatter plot depicted a positive correlation between PISA and GLS. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that an increase in the PISA score may cause mild alterations in the GLS score, which could indicate the possible influence of periodontitis on myocardial activity.

Autologous platelet-rich fibrin as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy-A follow up clinical pilot study.

The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in moderate periodontal pockets. The split-mouth study involved 32 sites from 16 patients. Baseline parameters were recorded followed by complete full-mouth SRP. The test and control sites were randomly selected and autologous PRF was placed in the test site and other site served as control. The blinded examiner recorded clinical parameters at baseline, 60 days, and 90 days. No statistical significance was found at baseline in probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL). Statistically, significant improvement was observed within test and control groups at 90 days compared to baseline values. A statistically significant difference in test sites was found in terms of reduction in PD and clinical attachment gain (CAG) compared to the control sites at the end of the study period (p value <0.05). This split-mouth pilot study emphasized a statistically significant improvement in pocket depth reduction and CAL gain when PRF was used as an adjunct to SRP in moderate periodontal pockets.