Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy on the disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Methods: Five hundred and twenty arthritis patients were included in the study, using consecutive non-probability sampling from the outpatient department of various public and private hospitals of Pakistan. Patients with periodontitis along with systemic Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) were included in the study. Clinical parameters taken for the severity of periodontitis were the Gingival recession (GV), Periodontal Pocket Depth (PPD) and Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL). Independent sample t-test was used for significance before and after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Data was presented with mean (standard deviation).

Results: The PPD and CAL of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients were found to be decreased significantly following non-surgical periodontal treatment (p value < 0.05), unlike the gingival recession, which did not decrease significantly (p value > 0.05).

Conclusion: The PPD and CAL values of periodontal patients with rheumatoid arthritis were significantly reduced after giving non-surgical Periotherapy along with oral hygiene instruction.

Keywords:  arthritis; gingiva; periodontitis; periodontal pocket