Impact of bariatric surgery on periodontal status in an obese cohort at one year of follow-up

The effect of weight loss on the periodontal condition remains unclear. The present prospective study thus aimed to evaluate the effect of weight loss on the periodontal status of 57 obese patients (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)) with ages ranging from 18 to 60 years, at 12 months following bariatric surgery. Demographic, biological and behavioral variables were analyzed. All participants underwent a periodontal examination, including plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL). Anthropometric measurements, such as weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Fisher's exact test, ANOVA, Bonferroni, Spearman's rank correlation and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for the statistical analysis (P<0.05). Prior to surgery, 49% of patients were classified as having obesity class I, 33% as obesity class II and 18% as obesity class III. Variables, such as BMI and PD exhibited statistically significant differences among the obesity class I, II and III groups (P<0.05). As regards periodontal diagnosis, 37% of patients were classified as having gingivitis, 46% as having periodontitis stages I-II, and 17% as having periodontitis stages III-IV. BMI, PI, BOP and PD exhibited statistically significant differences following bariatric surgery (P<0.0001). No statistically significant differences were observed in the CAL (P>0.05). Thus, the findings of the present study suggest that weight loss was associated with decreased periodontal inflammation and an improved plaque control following bariatric surgery. CAL remained unaltered during the study period.