Assessing the Correlation of Periodontal Inflamed Surface Area (PISA) With Systemic Inflammatory Markers

Background Periodontitis has a vital role in eliciting a cross-reactivity or systemic inflammatory response, making periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) a primary contributor to the inflammatory burden posed by periodontitis. PISA helps in the quantification of the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue. However, the existing literature data concerning PISA as an indicator of inflammatory burden are scarce, with limited research on the relationship between systemic inflammatory markers and PISA. Aim The present clinic-hematological cross-sectional study aimed to correlate PISA with systemic inflammatory markers. The study also aimed to assess serum concentrations of inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and peripheral blood markers such as neutrophils and monocytes and to correlate these markers with PISA. Methods The study assessed 62 subjects, who were divided into two groups of 31 subjects, each following bleeding on probing (BOP) criteria. Group I consisted of subjects with generalized chronic gingivitis, and Group II included subjects with generalized chronic periodontitis. In two groups, BOP, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and gingival recession were assessed along with PISA by a custom-made R function derived from a pre-existing, freely available MS Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington). The results of the assessment were then compared. Results A statistically highly significant positive correlation was seen in PISA and CRP with a correlation coefficient of 0.4875 and p-value of 0.000059. A similar statistically significant positive correlation was seen in ESR and PISA with a correlation coefficient of 0.4089 and p-value of 0.000968. A statistically non-significant correlation was seen in neutrophils and PISA with p=0.576018. However, a moderate and positive statistically significant association was seen in monocyte and PISA with a correlation coefficient of 0.3258 and p-value of 0.009956. Conclusions The present study concludes that most of the common systemic inflammatory markers have a positive correlation with PISA. However, more studies are required to establish this correlation.