Comparison of glycosylated hemoglobin levels in severe periodontitis patients and healthy controls: A study in an Indian population

Background: Periodontitis is associated with glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine if glycosylated hemoglobin is elevated in patients with severe periodontitis who are nondiabetic adults. Methods: A total of 60 patients were selected and were divided into test and control groups. The test group included 30 adults without diabetes but with severe periodontitis (more than 30% of the sites showing clinical attachment loss [CAL] >= 5 mm and bleeding on probing [BOP]), and the control group included 30 healthy adults (probing depth = 4 mm, BOP = 15%, and no CAL). Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was assessed in the laboratory for these patients. Groups were compared using the t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation. Results: There was a slight increase in mean HbA1c scores in the test group (cases 5.76%, controls 5.63%, P = .071). Mean body mass index [BMI] among cases and controls were similar. On intragroup comparison among BMI subgroups of the test group, HbA1c levels in the overweight subgroup were significantly higher compared to the normal BMI subgroup (overweight 5.89%, normal 5.68%, P = .017). Among controls, values were similar. Intergroup comparison showed that among overweight patients, the test group showed a significant increase in the mean HbA1c value compared to controls (cases 5.89%, controls 5.65%, P = .016). Pearson's correlation comparing plaque scores and HbA1c values of the entire sample was positive and revealed significance at the level of 0.01. Conclusion: There was no clear-cut link between severe periodontitis and glycemic control in nondiabetic individuals. Severe periodontitis patients who were also overweight showed significantly higher HbA1c values compared to their normal counterparts. Keywords: glycosylated hemoglobin, nondiabetics, severe periodontitis