Periodontitis:A Chronic Inflammatory Disease Closely Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Demonstrated researches have established close association in the pathophysiology between periodontitis (P D) and rheumatoid arthritis (R A). However, PD has purely bacterial etiology where as the etiology regarding RA is still unclear. Evidences have established that bacterial strains are responsible that trigger host for the development of RA. It has also been determined that PD is more severe and frequent in patients with RA which closely indicates association between the two inflammatory conditions.Periodontitis is a chronic tissue destructive condition in which tooth and supporting collagen fibers of the ligament and bones of jaws are broken down mainly by hosts by the reaction of immune inflammatory response. The relationship between periodontitis and other inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis have been dealt with in some studies. Instead of their different etiology, similar mechanism of tissue destruction has been described in this article.