Vitamin C Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin C, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, information.

Serum vitamin C-periodontal relationship in community-dwelling elderly Japanese.

Amarasena N, Ogawa H, Yoshihara A, Hanada N, Miyazaki H

Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Oral Health Science, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between serum vitamin C and periodontitis as estimated by clinical attachment loss (CAL) in community-dwelling elderly Japanese. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This analysis was confined to 413 Niigata citizens aged 70 years in whom the data for serum vitamin C and CAL were available. High-pressure liquid chromatography method was used to ascertain the serum vitamin C levels while CAL was assessed on six sites of all teeth present including third molars by means of pressure-sensitive probes. Other variables included gender, smoking, toothbrushing frequency, number of teeth present and random blood sugar levels. RESULTS: Serum vitamin C concentration was inversely related to CAL (r=-0.23, p<0.00005) at bivariate level. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CAL was 4% greater in subjects with lower serum vitamin C levels than in subjects with higher serum vitamin C levels notwithstanding smoking, diabetes, oral hygiene, gender or number of teeth present. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that serum vitamin C might have relatively weak but a statistically significant relationship with periodontitis in this elderly population.

Published 11 January 2005 in J Clin Periodontol, 32(1): 93-7.
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