Estimation of Serum Procalcitonin (ProCT/PCT) Levels in Periodontally Healthy Individuals and Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus – An Original Research

AIM: The present study aimed to estimate the serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in periodontally healthy individuals and chronic periodontitis patients with Type II diabetes mellitus (DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five male subjects aged 25–60 years were enrolled in the study and grouped as Group I (healthy), Group II (chronic periodontitis), and Group III (chronic periodontitis with Type II DM). Clinical parameters (dental plaque scores, bleeding scores, probing pocket depth, and loss of attachment) and glycemic parameters (random blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin levels) were recorded. Serum procalcitonin levels were analyzed using Raybio(®) Human Procalcitonin Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit using the sandwich technique. All the data obtained were tabulated and analyzed using SYSTAT 12 statistical software. Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to compare the mean scores between the three study groups, and Spearman's ρ correlation coefficient was used to find out the association. RESULTS: Serum procalcitonin levels were markedly increased in periodontitis group when compared to the healthy group. The mean serum levels of procalcitonin in Group I, Group II, and Group III were 22.52 pg/ml, 64.23 pg/ml, and 185.86 pg/ml, respectively. The variation in the procalcitonin levels was statistically significant at P < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The expression of procalcitonin in serum was increased to eightfold in the periodontitis group with diabetes in comparison to the healthy group, which shows that periodontal disease can cause the release of procalcitonin.