Assessment of nutritional status in chronic periodontitis patients: A cross-sectional study.

Background: This cross-sectional study compared the nutritional status of chronic periodontitis (CP) patients who presented with various degrees of severity with systemically healthy individuals using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA^®) tool along with laboratory analysis of macro- and micronutrients.

Materials and methods: This research enrolled a total of 84 participants, of which 63 belonged to the CP group while 21 served as healthy controls. The CP patients were divided into three groups of 21 each, based on severity as mild, moderate, and severe. Clinical periodontal parameters (plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment level/loss, total number of teeth present [NOT-P], furcation involvement, pathological migration, and tooth mobility), biochemical parameters (lipid, protein, iron profiles, and Vitamin D₃ and B₁₂), and the MNA^® tool were used to assess the nutritional status of all the participants. The results were analyzed statistically.

Results: NOT-P, MNA score, lipid profile (except very-low-density lipoprotein), iron profile (except total iron-binding capacity), and Vitamin D₃ showed high significant differences (P < 0.001) among the groups. However, Vitamin B₁₂ and protein profile except for total protein revealed significant differences (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: CP can be a contributing risk factor for the development of malnutrition. MNA^® tool can be used for assessing the nutritional status of CP patients.