A review of C-reactive protein: A diagnostic indicator in periodontal medicine.

Periodontitis is a local inflammatory process mediating the destruction of periodontal tissues, triggered by bacterial insult. Recent evidence suggests the presence of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease may significantly affect systemic health conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, or adverse pregnancy outcome. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein which reflects a measure of the acute phase response.