Evaluation of salivary interleukin-12 levels in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis patients before and after nonsurgical periodontal therapy

Abstract

Background: Periodontitis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease. It occurs due to inflammation and destruction of tooth-supporting tissues by subgingival microbiota. Cytokines have major role in the initiation, progression and the host modulation of periodontal disease. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate salivary levels of IL-12 in gingivitis and chronic periodontitis participants before and after non-surgical periodontal therapy. Materials and Methods: A total of 56 participants having gingivitis and chronic periodontitis were included in the study. The clinical parameters included plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), pocket probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). The level of IL-12 in salivary fluid was measured by ELISA kit at baseline and at 1 month followed by scaling and root planing. The statistical analysis was performed by using Paired and Unpaired t-tests. Results: After scaling and root planing, all the clinical parameters showed statistically significant improvement in both gingivitis and periodontitis group except plaque index but in comparison, periodontitis group showed more improvement than gingivitis group. IL-12 levels increased in both the patients with gingivitis and periodontitis after scaling and root planing but the intragroup comparison was statistically non significant. On intergroup comparison, increase in the IL-12 level was statistically significant for periodontitis group as compared to the gingivitis group. Conclusion: Nonsurgical therapy resulted in a significant improvement in periodontal indices and a marked increase in IL-12 levels.