Reduction of hsCRP levels following an Oral Health Education Program combined with routine dental treatment

Eman S Almabadi; Gregory J Seymour; Rahena Akhter; Adrian Bauman; Mary P Cullinan; Joerg Eberhard

doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2021.103686

Reduction of hsCRP levels following an Oral Health Education Program combined with routine dental treatment

J Dent. 2021 Jul:110:103686. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2021.103686. Epub 2021 May 4.

Authors

Eman S Almabadi¹, Gregory J Seymour², Rahena Akhter³, Adrian Bauman⁴, Mary P Cullinan², Joerg Eberhard⁵

Affiliations

¹ The University of Sydney, The Charles Perkins Centre and the School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Department, College Dentistry, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: ealm5733@uni.sydney.edu.au.
² The University of Queensland, School of Dentistry, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
³ The University of Sydney School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ The University of Sydney, School of Public Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ The University of Sydney, The Charles Perkins Centre and the School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: joerg.eberhard@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 33957190
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2021.103686

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effect of a personalised oral health education program, in combination with routine dental treatment, on serum biomarkers of systemic disease compared to dental treatment alone in a population from a low-socioeconomic community with poor oral health.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomised clinical trial involved 295 participants (mean age, 45.4 ± 11 years) assigned to two groups. One group received dental treatment combined with the Oral Health Education Program (OHEPDT), while the second group (DT) received dental care without the Education Program. Serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and HbA1c levels were analysed at baseline and after 12 months. Changes in diet, smoking and alcohol consumption were also determined.

Results: No intergroup differences were observed for the lipid profile and HbA1c levels. A reduction in the hsCRP levels at the 12-month follow-up was observed in the OHEPDT group, which was significantly different from the DT group (p = 0.01). Multivariate modelling indicated that baseline hsCRP levels (p = 0.000), baseline body mass index (p = 0.000), and higher consumption of vegetables (p = 0.021) predicted a reduction in hsCRP levels.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that personalised oral health education combined with routine dental treatment was associated with a significant reduction in hsCRP levels subsequent to dietary behavioural changes. These findings suggest that personalised oral health education in combined with routine dental treatment may have beneficial effects on general health.

Clinical significance: The strategy for developing an oral health program that involves education of the modifiable common risk factors for general health has beneficial effects and should be one of the priority components of these programs to improve oral and general health, particularly for at-risk communities.

Keywords: Dietary behavioural change; Inflammatory biomarker; Oral health; Periodontal health; Personalised education; Randomised clinical trial.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
C-Reactive Protein*
Dental Care
Health Education, Dental*
Humans
Middle Aged
Oral Health
Risk Factors

Substances

C-Reactive Protein