Chronic Plaque Psoriasis and Plaque-induced Chronic Periodontitis; Is There Any Association: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and aims. Psoriasis and periodontitis are characterized by an exaggerated host immune response to epithelial cell surface microbiota. Thus, mediators produced as part of host response orchestrate the inflammatory cascade and cause tissue destruction. The aim this study was to investigate the prevalence of periodontitis in psoriasis patients, and to find whether any correlation exists between them. Materials and methods. This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 100 age- and gender-matched subjects divided into two groups: group 1: psoriasis (test) and group 2: chronic periodontitis (CP) (control). Both groups were evaluated for periodontal clinical parameters (gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), periodontal attachment level (PAL) and tooth loss (1-3 or ≥4). Furthermore, subgingival microbial analysis of dental plaque was carried out to estimate the levels of periodontopathic organisms, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ANOVA, independent sample t-test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results. Psoriasis patients showed significantly higher GI, PI, PD, PAL and tooth loss (≥4) compared to controls. Furthermore, their microbiological analysis showed significantly greater number of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis positive samples. However, no difference was found in Tannerella forsythia positive samples. Conclusions. The prevalence of periodontitis is higher in psoriasis subjects as compared to age- and gender-matched periodontitis controls. We hypothesized that this assumption is valid as periodontitis shares several important common pathways with psoriasis. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to substantiate this association.