Association between Body Mass Index and Gingival Inflammation Assessed by the Papillary Bleeding Index: Implications for Systemic Health Profiling

Body Mass Index (BMI) is widely used as an indicator of systemic health and has been linked to inflammatory conditions. Gingival inflammation, which can be clinically assessed using the Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI), represents an early manifestation of periodontal inflammatory response and may reflect broader systemic health status. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between Body Mass Index and gingival inflammation measured by the Papillary Bleeding Index among patients attending a dental teaching hospital. An observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design was conducted at the periodontology clinic of a dental teaching hospital in Indonesia. Body Mass Index was determined using standard anthropometric measurements and categorized according to the WHO Asia–Pacific classification. Gingival inflammation was assessed using the Papillary Bleeding Index based on Saxer and Mühlemann’s criteria. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation test. The analysis demonstrated no statistically significant association between Body Mass Index and Papillary Bleeding Index (r = −0.116; p = 0.249). Although descriptive findings showed variation in gingival bleeding scores across different Body Mass Index categories, these differences did not reach statistical significance. The findings indicate that Body Mass Index was not significantly associated with gingival inflammation as assessed by the Papillary Bleeding Index in this study population. This suggests that body mass alone may not directly influence gingival inflammatory status in clinical dental settings. Nevertheless, they indice remain relevant descriptors of systemic and oral health and may provide contextual information for population-based and forensic-oriented health alongside with other biological parameters.