Methods: Thirty four cases with moderate to severe periodontitis and 42 controls with healthy gingiva (50 to 59 years old women) were selected based on the results of a comprehensive health examination conducted in Hisayama town, Fukuoka, Japan in 2004.
Results: Median of serum resistin level in the subjects with periodontitis was significantly higher than in those with healthy gingival (p = 0.037 by Mann-Whitney U test). Mean value of BMI (p = 0.019) and percentage body fat (p = 0.016) were also significantly increased in the subjects with periodontitis. Serum level of adiponectin in the subjects with periodontitis was slightly lower than in those with healthy gingiva but not significant.
Conclusion: Serum resistin level is associated with periodontitis in middle aged women. This supports some reports suggesting that resistin has a certain role in inflammation. Resistin may mediate the relationship between obesity, diabetes and periodontal disease. This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid of Scientific Research (B) 15390652 (T. S.) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan.