C-Reactive Protein as a Biomarker of Oral Health and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Healthy and CV Disease Subjects

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of death. Elevated CRP is considered a biomarker for the development of CVD. CRP is elevated in inflammatory periodontal diseases considered by a co-morbidity of CVD. This project contrasted CRP in young healthy, elderly healthy and elderly with CVD subjects relating these to gingival index (GI) and body-mass index (BMI) as parameters of inflammation. The data confirm a correlation between GI, BMI with CRP levels and in turn the risk of CVD. Selected young subjects had CRP levels similar to the elderly CVD subjects. This suggests that young healthy subjects with elevated GI, coupled with high BMI may be at a higher risk to develop CVD, as they age. Future studies should focus on these subjects longitudinally to assess the development of systemic disease, in particular CVD. Modalities to lower risk factors using CRP as a biomarker of efficacy may be developed.