摘要INTRODUCTIONPeriodontitis, affecting approximately half the worldwide adult population, is a widespread oral disease that causes disruption of the periodontal soft and hard tissue. Several systemic diseases are connected with periodontitis, such as obesity, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Treatment of systemic diseases with pharma-cotherapy has been found to have adverse effects on the periodontal tissue and can even aggravate periodontitis. For example, long-term use of phenytoin, cyclosporin, or calcium channel blockers leads to drug-induced gingival hyperplasia.1 Dexamethasone, used for arthritic joint treatment, increases alveolar bone loss.2 Chemotherapy for cancer also increases the susceptibility to periodontitis.