Major area of research interest for the past 8 years has been the association of periodontal diseases with various chronic systemic diseases (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases) (Periodontal Medicine). Our group investigated the association between severe periodontitis and systemic inflammation. We were able to demonstrate that an effective control of periodontal infection was associated with a significant anti-inflammatory response. We also showed for the first time that periodontal therapy had a significant effect on markers and surrogate measures of endothelial function (flow mediated dilatation of the brachial artery) and human inflammation.
Further data from our group led to the identification of intensive periodontal therapy as a novel and reliable acute inflammatory model in humans without the use of systemic drugs. We have shown and characterized a significant inflammatory response following an intensive session of periodontal therapy.