Effect of Weight Reduction on the Serum Adiponectin and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Levels and the Clinical Parameters of Obese Patients with and without Periodontal Disease.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to assess the impact of weight reduction on the attenuation of obesity-related periodontal inflammation. METHODS: This study was conducted enrolling 60 obese subjects. They were divided into three groups of 20 each. Group 1-healthy group, Group 2-gingivitis group, and Group 3-periodontitis group. The body mass index and waist/hip ratio, periodontal parameters such as plaque index, bleeding index, full mouth periodontal probing depth (PPD) using the University of North Carolina 15 (UNC 15) probe and full mouth clinical attachment loss (CAL) with cementoenamel junction as the reference using UNC 15 probe was evaluated at baseline and after the attainment of ≥10% weight loss by the subjects. Adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured in the serum at baseline and after attainment of ≥10% reduction in weight in a period of 3-18 months. RESULTS: Adherence to weight reduction program until the achievement of ≥10% reduction in body weight resulted in statistically significant (P < 0.0001) elevated serum adiponectin and reduced serum TNF-α levels in all three groups. Furthermore, elevations of adiponectin following weight reduction showed significant negative correlations with PPD in all the three groups and in patients with periodontitis, (Group 3) serum adiponectin levels showed significant negative correlations (P = 0.0001) with CAL in Group 3. CONCLUSIONS: Controlling obesity presents a good opportunity to alleviate the burden of periodontal disease. Simple weight reduction programs with diet and exercise-related lifestyle modifications may be an efficacious and barrier-free option.

Awareness of the association between periodontal disease and pre-term births among general dentists, general medical practitioners and gynecologists.

In the recent decades, periodontal disease has been identified as a risk factor for pre-term deliveries. Hence, it is important to evaluate the awareness of health-care providers of the association between periodontal diseases and pre-term birth. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to random samples representing general medical practitioners (GMPs), general dental practitioners (GDPs) and Gynecologists for this study. A knowledge score was calculated for correct answers to 11 survey questions related to oral health effects during pregnancy and compared among the three groups. In this study, 133 physicians, 135 dentists and 100 Gynecologists completed the questionnaire. More GDPs (67.4%) than GMPs (56.4%) and Gynecologists (63%) reported there was an association between periodontal disease and pre-term low birth weight. Efforts to increase this awareness may prove valuable in improving preventive care during pregnancy.