Obesity and oxidative stress in patients with different periodontal status: a case–control study

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Objective</jats:title><jats:p>Obesity has become an important global health concern as obesity‐associated adiposity is supposedly related to systemic immunologic and inflammatory alterations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of obesity on periodontally healthy and diseased tissue according to the changes in malondialdehyde (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MDA</jats:styled-content>), protein carbonyl (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PC</jats:styled-content>) and total antioxidant capacity (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TAOC</jats:styled-content>) levels in gingival crevicular fluid as biomarkers of oxidative stress (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OS</jats:styled-content>).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Material and Methods</jats:title><jats:p>The study sample comprised systemically healthy normal‐weight (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 45) and obese (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 48) adults. Obesity was diagnosed according to body mass index, waist circumference and waist/hip ratio. Periodontal status was evaluated according to plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level. Participants were distributed among six groups according to obesity and periodontal status, as follows: normal weight+periodontally healthy (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NH</jats:styled-content>); normal weight+gingivitis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NG</jats:styled-content>); normal weight+generalized chronic periodontitis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NCP</jats:styled-content>); obese+periodontally healthy (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OH</jats:styled-content>); obese+gingivitis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OG</jats:styled-content>); and obese+generalized chronic periodontitis (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OCP</jats:styled-content>). <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MDA</jats:styled-content>,<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"> PC</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TAOC</jats:styled-content> levels were measured using <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">ELISA</jats:styled-content>.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>The <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MDA</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PC</jats:styled-content> levels in gingival crevicular fluid varied among groups, as follows: <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NCP</jats:styled-content> > <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NG</jats:styled-content> > <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NH</jats:styled-content> (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01) and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OCP</jats:styled-content> > <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OG</jats:styled-content> > <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OH</jats:styled-content> (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01). Conversely, the levels of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TAOC in</jats:styled-content> gingival crevicular fluid varied as follows: <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NCP</jats:styled-content> < <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NG</jats:styled-content> < <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NH</jats:styled-content> (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01) and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OCP</jats:styled-content> < <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OG</jats:styled-content> < <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OH</jats:styled-content> (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01). Paired comparisons conducted according to periodontal status showed <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MDA</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PC</jats:styled-content> levels to be higher, and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TAOC</jats:styled-content> levels to be lower, in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OCP</jats:styled-content> group than in the NCP group, in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OG</jats:styled-content> group than in the NG group and in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OH</jats:styled-content> group than in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NH</jats:styled-content> group. However, only the differences between the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">OCP</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NCP</jats:styled-content> groups were significant (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01). In both obese and normal‐weight individuals, clinical assessments showed significant, positive correlations with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">MDA</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">PC</jats:styled-content> levels and negative correlations with <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">TAOC</jats:styled-content> levels (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> < 0.01).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>Obesity may influence periodontal tissue destruction and disease severity by increasing the level of oxidative stress in the presence of periodontal disease.</jats:p></jats:sec>