Periodontal parameters and salivary levels of receptor activator of NF-kB Ligand and osteoprotegerin in obese periodontitis patients

This study aimed to assess levels of salivary receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) protein biomarkers in obese patients with periodontitis. Subjects were divided into two groups: group-I consisted of 30 non-obese subjects with periodontitis, while group-II consisted of 30 obese patients with periodontitis. The periodontal examination, including periodontal pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), plaque score (PS), and gingival bleeding index (GBI), were evaluated. Salivary RANKL and OPG were estimated in both study groups using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of RANKL protein were significantly higher in the obese group than the non-obese group, while levels of OPG protein were significantly higher in the non-obese group than the obese group. The periodontal parameters PPD, CAL, and PS, except for GBI, showed a significant difference between the two groups. The mean PPD scores were significantly higher in the obese group than the non-obese group, while the CAL scores in the obese group were significantly higher than the non-obese group. Only the salivary OPG levels were significantly associated with CAL. There is an association of OPG and CAL in both obese and non-obese with periodontitis.