Effect of red wine and its major components on periodontitis and systemic inflammation in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of red wine exposure, alcohol, grape juice and resveratrol in the occurrence of spontaneous and ligature induced periodontitis as well as CRP, TNFα and IL-6 levels in Wistar rats. METHODOLOGY: 50 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups (Control, Red Wine, Grape Juice, 12% Alcohol and 0.05mg/mL Resveratrol). All groups were fed with laboratory rat chow and liquid intake according to group allocation. After 8 weeks, ligatures were placed around the maxillary right second molars. The contra-lateral molars remained as intra-group controls. After 14 days, animals were killed, blood samples collected and specimens prepared for analysis. Group comparisons were performed by ANOVA. A cut-off point in the 75th percentile in the side without ligature was used for definition of spontaneous periodontitis. RESULTS: All animals completed the experiment. According to mean alveolar bone loss, no statistically significant differences were found. Animals exposed to red wine presented a lower occurrence of spontaneous periodontitis, lower levels of TNF-α (0.97 ng/mL) and CRP (0.29 mmol/µL) compared to controls (1.97 ng/mL, p = 0.008 and 0.45 mmol/ µL, p less than or equal to 0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: Red wine exposure potentially affects the occurrence of spontaneous periodontitis, CRP and TNF-α levels in Wistar rats.

Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Clinical Attachment Loss Progression in an Urban Population From South Brazil: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of alcohol consumption on clinical attachment loss (AL) progression over a period of 5 years. METHODS: A multistage probability sampling strategy was used to draw a representative sample of the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Five hundred thirty-two individuals (209 males and 293 females) aged 18 to 65 years at baseline with no medical history of diabetes and at least six teeth were included in this analysis. Full-mouth periodontal examinations with six sites per tooth were conducted at baseline and after 5 years. Alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline by asking participants about the usual number of drinks consumed in a week. Four categories of alcohol consumption were defined: 1) non-drinker; 2) ≤1 glass/week; 3) >1 glass/week and ≤1 glass/day; and 4) >1 glass/day. Individuals showing at least two teeth with proximal (clinical AL) progression ≥3 mm over 5 years were classified as having disease progression. Multiple Poisson regression models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, socioeconomic status, and body mass index were used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Overall, individuals who consumed >1 glass/day had 30% higher risk for clinical AL progression (RR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.58) than non-drinkers. Among males, risk of clinical AL progression for individuals drinking >1 glass/day was 34% higher than non-drinkers (RR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.64). Never-smoker males drinking ≤1 glass/week had significantly lower risk for clinical AL progression than non-drinkers (RR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.89), whereas those drinking >1 glass/day had significantly higher risk (RR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.99). Among females, no association between alcohol consumption and clinical AL progression was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption increased the risk of clinical AL progression, and this effect was more pronounced in males. Low dosages (≤1.37 g of alcohol/day) of alcohol consumption may be beneficial to prevent periodontal disease progression in males. The impact of alcohol cessation initiatives on periodontal health should be evaluated.