Introduction:Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the teeth caused by specific microorganisms inducing a major vascular response which may impair erythropoiesis and degradation of erythrocytes.Red Blood Cell Distribution Width(RDW)is measurement of variation in size of the circulating erythrocytes(anisocytosis).

Aim:To evaluate RDW in chronic periodontitis(CP)and periodontally healthy subjects.

Materials and Methods:90 participants,45 CP and 45 healthy subjects were randomly selected from department of PMNM Dental College and Hospital. 4.5ml of blood was collected from all the subjects after obtaining informed consent and analysed for RDW.The obtained data werestatistically analysed.

Results:A statistically significant(p=0.006)and positive correlation was found between RDW of CP than the control group.

Conclusion:Increased RDW reflects chronic inflammation and increased oxidative stress,telltale signs of CP.RDW,a simple and inexpensive chair side diagnostic test can be used as reliable biomarker for early detection and therapeutic intervention in CP.