Key clinical point: Nonsurgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) was associated with a significant reduction in disease activity score (DAS28), tender joint counts (TJC), swollen joint counts (SJC), visual analogical scale (VAS), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis.
Major finding: NSPT significantly reduced DAS28 ( P less than .001), TJC ( P less than .001), SJC ( P = .008), VAS ( P = .02), and CRP ( P = .01) in patients with RA and periodontitis.
Study details: Data come from a meta-analysis of 9 studies that compared RA-related indicator changes between NSPT and no treatment groups.
Disclosures: The work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin, China, and the Science and Technology Foundation of Tianjin Health Commission, China. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Sun J et al. Clin Oral Investig. 2021 Jan 29. doi: 10.1007/s00784-021-03807-w.