Analysis of White Blood Cell Count and Its Differential Count in Gingival and Periodontal Conditions Associated with Bleeding Gingiva

Background: Bleeding gingiva is caused primarily due to the accumulation of plaque and calculus which eventually leads to gingivitis or periodontitis. Other causes of bleeding gingiva can be due to improper flossing, over brushing of the teeth and gingiva, hormonal changes due to pregnancy, ill-fitting dentures and any other dental appliances impinging the gingiva. The bleeding gingiva can also indicate serious health problems like leukemia, scurvy, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, vitamin k deficiency and any bleeding disorder. Persistent gingival bleeding is a sign of serious medical problems like leukemia and platelet disorders. Leukemia is a group of cancer where there is an increased number of immature or abnormal white blood cells. In this study, the WBC and their differential count is analyzed in patients with bleeding gingiva to check the possibilities for the patient to get cancer. Aim: To measure and observe the WBC count and its differentials by testing the blood from patients with bleeding gingiva. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the clinical pathology lab at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. 100 subjects were subjected to the study. Subjects with chief complaint of bleeding gingiva, without systemic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and patients with the age of above 10 were included in the study. Results and Conclusion: This study was conducted to analyze the WBC count and differential count among the patients with bleeding gingiva. No significant correlation was found between bleeding gingiva and white blood cells & their differential count in this study.