Evaluation of association between hyperlipidemia and periodontitis

Statement of Problem: Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In recent years some evidence has been presented regarding the association between periodontal and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was the evaluation of association between hyperlipidemia and periodontitis. In this case-control study, levels of plasma lipids in 40 subjects with periodontitis (CPITN score III or IV) were measured and compared with 40 age and sex matched controls. Data were analyzed using t-student test with P<0.05 as the limit of significance. Total cholesterol (CHL) and triglyceride (TG) were significantly higher in case group compared with control group. (P=0.045 and P=0.016 respectively). HDL and LDL cholesterols were higher in cases but showed no significant differences with controls. The relative frequency of pathologic values of CHL and TG were significantly greater in cases compared with control group (P=0.005 and P=0.001 respectively). Based on the findings of this study, hyperlipidemia may be associated with periodontitis in medically healthy peoples but whether periodontitis causes an increase in levels of serum lipids or whether hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for both periodontitis and cardiovascular disease need to be further investigated.