Oral · Published 2026-07-07 · DOI 10.3390/oral6040084
Besian Abazi, Etleva Qeli, Silvana Bara, Çeljana Toti, Gerta Kaçani, Aida Meto
<b>Background:</b> Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and periodontitis are chronic inflammatory conditions. Periodontitis may amplify low-grade systemic inflammation in people with T2DM. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) reflects this inflammatory burden, but the effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) on hsCRP in T2DM remains uncertain. <b>Objective:</b> To evaluate whether NSPT changes hsCRP at 3 and 6 months compared with oral hygiene instructions alone in patients with T2DM and periodontitis. <b>Methods:</b> Predefined secondary analysis of a 1:1 parallel-group randomized trial with assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Participants received scaling and root planing plus oral hygiene instructions (intervention) or oral hygiene instructions only (control). Fasting hsCRP (mg/L) was analyzed on the log scale using mixed-effects models; effects are presented as exponentiated ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Sensitivity analyses included baseline-adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and covariate-adjusted mixed models. An exploratory group-adjusted regression examined associations between periodontal changes and hsCRP change. <b>Results:</b> Eighty-nine participants were randomized (45 control, 44 intervention), with hsCRP available for most participants through 6 months. There was no between-group difference at 3 months (ratio 0.958; 95% CI 0.875–1.049; <i>p</i> = 0.358). At 6 months, hsCRP was lower in the NSPT group than in controls (ratio 0.809; 95% CI 0.738–0.887; <i>p</i> < 0.001), corresponding to ~19% lower hsCRP; the model-based geometric mean hsCRP at 6 months was 2.66 mg/L versus 3.26 mg/L. Periodontal measures improved more with NSPT, but changes in periodontal measures were not independently associated with hsCRP change after group adjustment. <b>Conclusions:</b> In patients with T2DM and periodontitis, NSPT was associated with lower hsCRP at 6 months compared with oral hygiene instructions alone. These biomarker findings suggest a potential systemic anti-inflammatory effect, but should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and confirmed in adequately powered trials.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Abazi, B., Qeli, E., Bara, S., et al. (2026). Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein in Type 2 Diabetes: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial. Oral. https://doi.org/10.3390/oral6040084