Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the correlation between periodontitis severity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with CD4/CD8 lymphocytes ratio and cytomegalovirus gamma immunoglobulin (IgG CMV) level.
Materials and methods: This is a descriptive study using a cross-sectional approach that included 93 subjects who were diagnosed with SLE in Rheumatology Department, Saiful Anwar Hospital, during 2017 to 2019. Periodontitis severity was assessed by periodontal Index (PI). CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio was determined using flow cytometry and IgG CMV levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Statistical analysis: The differences among the three groups were analyzed using analysis of variance. Correlation among the groups was calculated using Spearman/Pearson correlation coefficient test, while regression analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
Results: The mean of periodontitis severity and standard deviation in SLE was 2.66 ± 1.02. There were negative correlation between CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio with periodontal index (r = -0.971) and positive correlation between IgG CMV level with periodontal index (r = 0.977).
Conclusions: Inverted CD4/CD8 ratio and IgG CMV were found associated with periodontitis severity in SLE patient. Further research was recomended that CD4/CD8 lymphocytes ratio and IgG CMV can be used as a potensial marker of periodontitis severity in SLE patients.