Assessment of Periodontal Inflammation in a Chronic Periodontitis Patient using PET (18F-FDG)/CT

Several methods for the evaluation of periodontitis have been reported and used clinically. Nevertheless, there is no established method to precisely assess the degree of inflammation in the periodontal tissue. We conducted 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET)/computed tomography (CT), which is widely used in the medical field, and is capable of visualizing, localizing, and quantifying the degree of periodontal inflammation. In this case report, we compared the existing diagnostic methods with 18F-FDG PET/CT, based on the efficiency of assessment of periodontal inflammation during the treatment of a chronic periodontitis patient with breast cancer. During the periodontal treatment, the bleeding on probing (BOP) and periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) improved from 56% to 3% and 1143 mm2 to 27 mm2, respectively. Additionally, the accumulation of 18F-FDG, observed using 18F-FDG PET/CT, disappeared. These results indicate that 18F-FDG PET/CT would be useful as a new diagnostic tool for oral inflammatory disease. This case report suggests that 18F-FDG PET/CT should be included in "common clinical examination" in medical and dental fields, which may enhance the cooperation between these fields, and be useful for effective periodontal treatment of patients affected by several systemic diseases.