Association Between Periodontal Status and ABO and Rh Blood Group Phenotypes: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the possible association between periodontal status and ABO and Rh blood group phenotypes in a Turkish adult population.

Materials and Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional observational study retrospectively analyzed data obtained from the electronic health records of 163 systemically healthy individuals. Participants were categorized into four groups: periodontal health (n=50), gingivitis (n=49), Stage I–II periodontitis (n=25), and Stage III–IV periodontitis (n=39). Periodontal diagnoses were established according to the 2017 World Workshop Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions based on routine clinical and radiographic examinations. ABO and Rh blood group information was obtained from participants' medical records. Demographic characteristics and the associations between periodontal status and ABO and Rh blood group phenotypes were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

Results: Of the 163 participants, 54.0% were female and 46.0% were male. The mean age of the periodontitis group was significantly higher than that of the periodontal health and gingivitis group (p<0.001), whereas sex distribution did not differ significantly among the groups (p=0.143). Blood group A was the most prevalent ABO phenotype (36.2%), and Rh-positive was the predominant Rh phenotype (89.6%). No statistically significant association was observed between periodontal status and ABO blood group distribution (p=0.623) or Rh factor (p=0.263).

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, no significant association was found between periodontal status and ABO or Rh blood group phenotypes. The findings support the multifactorial nature of periodontal diseases and suggest that ABO and Rh blood group phenotypes are not independent determinants of periodontal disease development. Further large-scale, multicenter, prospective studies involving different populations are needed to better clarify this association.