Effect of Intensive Periodontal Therapy on Vascular Function

The hypothesis of the existence of a causal association between the systemic infectious/inflammatory burden represented by periodontitis and endothelial function assessed by flow mediated dilatation of the brachial artery (FMD) is the subject of the proposed investigation. The objective of this randomized controlled clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of periodontal therapy on endothelial function assessed by Flow mediated dilatation (FMD). The rationale for this project is twofold: * Establish the extent of acute systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction associated with the delivery of subgingival instrumentation for the treatment of chronic periodontitis * Establish whether or not improved control of chronic periodontal infections results in improved endothelial function and thus the existence of a causal association between periodontitis and endothelial dysfunction.