In November 2006, research from the University of Connecticut Health Center reported that cardiac and kidney transplant patients with periodontal disease had a less successful long-term outcome than those without disease. The 47 patients, at least one-year post transplant, who were deemed periodontally “clinically stable” with no history of periodontal treatment in the last 12 months, were compared with a group of 18 periodontally “healthy” patients matched for sex and age. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured in each individual. IL-6 is a protein that is stimulated as the body’s response to infections. Discovered were elevated levels of circulating IL-6 in patients with periodontal disease when compared with patients without periodontal disease. In addition, local levels of IL-6 were measured in the actual periodontal tissue, which were found to be elevated as well. When probing depths and clinical attachment loss were calculated, they became independent co-indicators of the body’s IL-6 levels. Long-term transplant survival may depend on mitigating the negative effects of periodontal disease and IL-6 in the bloodstream. Further studies will be necessary.
(Source: American Academy of Periodontology, perio.org. December 30, 2006)
