RESUMEN
AIMS: It has been shown that periodontitis, can be modified by systemic changes, including behavioral factors, such as diet. Caloric restriction is one of the dietary therapeutic strategies indicated for obesity. It is associated with several benefits, among them, modulation of the inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to verify whether caloric restriction in obese rats changes the progression of experimental ligature-induced periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were used for 24 weeks and initially fed with cafeteria diet during 12 weeks. The animals were divided into four groups according to the caloric restriction and experimental periodontitis. The cotton thread was placed around the mandibular first molars, for 15 days, before the end of the experiment. Rats submitted to caloric restriction received, from the 13th week of the experimental protocol, 70% of the food intake compared to the ad libitum animals of other study of the our research group. Alveolar bone loss was assessed using macroscopic morphometric analysis. Analyzes of clinical periodontal measures, biometrics, serum biomarkers and biochemical parameters were performed. KEY FINDINGS: Caloric restriction decreased the alveolar bone loss in the periodontitis group when compared to the group that received a cafeteria diet with periodontitis. Moreover, the results demonstrate the improvement in the glycemic profile, without prejudice to bone tissue biomarkers. SIGNIFICANCE: Based on the results, caloric restriction reduces the progression of alveolar bone loss in rats with experimental periodontitis, in addition to presenting benefits in biometric data, decreasing both glycemic profile and clinical periodontal measures.