Periodontal status correlates with anti‐citrullinated protein antibodies in first‐degree relatives of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

Aim: To evaluate periodontal status in first‐degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (FDR‐RA) and detect correlation with the presence of anti‐citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs). Materials and Methods: Rheumatologic status and periodontal status were evaluated in a nested case–control study of FDR‐RA with no diagnosis of RA at enrolment. The following parameters were assessed in 34 ACPA‐positive (ACPA+) and 65 ACPA‐negative (ACPA−) subjects: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP) and clinical attachment level (CAL). We compared the two groups using conditional logistic regression. Results: In ACPA+ individuals, the mean, PD, BOP, CAL and number of sites per person with PD > 4 mm and BOP were significantly higher compared to the ACPA‐ group. All ACPA+ subjects had periodontitis: 44.1% presenting moderate and 47.1% severe periodontitis. ACPA‐ subjects had mainly mild (30.8%) and moderate (27%) periodontitis, differences being significantly different for both moderate periodontitis (p = 0.001) and severe periodontitis (p < 0.001). In multivariable analyses, ACPA status (p = 0.04) and age (p = 0.002) were significantly and independently associated with periodontal conditions. Conclusion: High prevalence and severity of periodontitis in FDR‐RA was associated with seropositivity to ACPAs. This further strengthens the hypothesis that periodontitis may be a risk factor in the development of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]