Summary :
Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between periodontal disease and general health status in community-dwelling elderly using serum albumin concentration as a criterion index of the severity of an underlying disease and nutrition status. Methods: Serum albumin level was detected by the bromcresol green albumin (BCG) method and the data for serum albumin were available in 368 subjects aged 75 years. Pressure-sensitive probes were used to measure loss of attachment (LA) on six sites of all teeth present. Information relevant to gender and smoking habit was obtained by means of a personal interview, while body mass index (BMI) and biochemical serum markers were investigated. Results: Serum albumin concentration ranged from 3.2 to 4.8 g/dl with a mean of 4.1
0.2. More than 70% of subjects had at least one site with LA 61mm, while 91 exhibited 10% or more sites with LA 61mm. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found that sites of LA 61mm had a significant effect on serum albumin level (correlation coefficient5 0.14; po0.05), which was independent of the other covariates. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that there might be an inverse relationship between periodontal disease and serum albumin concentration in these elderly subjects.

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