THURSDAY, Jan. 22, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Signs of periodontal disease may be detected with a routine blood test, says a Japanese study in the current issue of the Journal of Periodontology.
Researchers examined and measured the oral health of 7,452 people and tested their blood for 37 items used in general blood tests. These items included cholesterol and C-reactive protein, commonly linked to heart disease.
The blood test results were compared against the oral health scores of the study volunteers.
"In this study we found that generally if the blood was 'healthy,' the oral health was also healthy. Conversely, if the blood test detected certain 'red flags,' the person also had serious symptoms of periodontal disease," researcher Dr. Yuko Takami, of the School of Dentistry at AichiGakuin University, says in a prepared statement.
"We also found that males were reported to have more serious symptoms of periodontal diseases than females of the same age group," Takami says.
"These findings mean that in the future when patients visit their medical doctors for a routine check-up and annual blood work, they may also be referred to a periodontist for a periodontal screening if their blood indicates systemic abnormalities," Michael P. Rethman, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, says in a prepared statement.
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