The effect of periodontal therapy on TNF-alpha, IL-6 and metabolic control in type 2 diabetics.

Purpose: This pilot study investigated if scaling and root planing (S&RP) was an effective intervention in reducing levels of inflammatory markers TNF-alpha and IL-6 in a type 2 diabetic population.

Methods: Twenty-five patients with type 2 diabetes, 18-64 years of age were enrolled having 4 or more sites with pocket depths > or = 5mm and 2 or more sites with attachment loss > or = 3mm. Participants received S&RP following collection of gingival crevicular fluid and serum which were analyzed for TNF-alpha and IL-6. After 3 months post-treatment levels were collected. Serum pre-and post-treatment levels were analyzed using a paired t test at a significance level of p < or = 0.05. Mean TNF-alpha was 1.7 pg/ml at baseline and post-treatment was 4.0 pg/ml. Mean IL-6 was 2.8 pg/ml at baseline and post-treatment 6.0 pg/ml.

Results: Both mean TNF-alpha and IL-6 were increased following S&RP ; however, the observed increases were not statistically significant. While participants improved on periodontal measures following therapy, systemic measures of inflammation (TNF-alpha and IL-6) did not show the hypothesized reductions.

Conclusion: Further studies are needed to determine effectiveness of S&RP on inflammatory mediators in a population with type 2 diabetes.