Host beta-globin gene fragments in crevicular fluid as a biomarker in periodontal health and disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Leukocytes and epithelium are the first line of defense in preventing bacterial invasion into periodontium. Some of these cells die in gingival crevicular fluid, whereupon their DNA is spilled out. The present study was designed to investigate the profile of host beta-globin gene fragments in the gingival crevicular fluid of various periodontal conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Gingival crevicular fluid from 40 teeth with chronic periodontitis, 30 with gingivitis and 22 that were clinically healthy were centrifuged (3,000 g, 10 min). The supernatant (cell-free gingival crevicular fluid) was centrifuged again (13,000 g, 10 min), resulting in the pellet and the supernatant as debris and debris-free fractions, respectively. Specific primers for amplifying 110 bp, 536 bp and 2 kb amplicons of human beta-globin gene were used to investigate host DNA by quantitative and qualitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The periodontitis group showed the largest amount of host beta-globin gene fragments, while the healthy group had the lowest. In the debris and debris-free fractions, the 536 bp and 2 kb amplicons were more often detected in the periodontitis group than in the other groups. Interestingly, the presence of 2 kb amplicon in the debris fraction could be used to discriminate periodontitis from gingivitis and healthy groups because we found it in 85% of periodontitis samples but only in 13% of gingivitis samples, and it was absent in the healthy group. CONCLUSION: This study shows the different DNA profiles of cell-free gingival crevicular fluid in periodontal health and disease. It suggests that the quantity and quality of host DNA are dependent on the disease conditions. Therefore, the beta-globin gene fragments in cell-free gingival crevicular fluid may be a potential biomarker of periodontal disease progression.

Clinical and laboratory assessments of camphorated monochlorophenol in endodontic therapy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of camphorated monochlorophenol (CMCP) on bacterial status of root canals of nonvital teeth during treatments. The presence of bacteria in 15 single-rooted teeth with periapical lesions was studied throughout a whole period of treatment. Patients were randomly divided into three groups. In group 1, a control group, the intracanal medication was omitted. The teeth were enlarged under aseptic conditions in combination with the use of 3% H2O2 and 5.25% NaOCl as irrigants. In group 2, after chemomechanical preparation, the root canals were dressed with 2 microliter of 40% CMCP. The medicament was replaced on days 3 and 7. In group 3, root canals were treated in a manner similar to those in group 2, except that the medicament was renewed on days 1 and 7. The loss of CMCP was determined in groups 2 and 3. The results showed that chemomechanical preparation could reduce bacteria in root canals to an uncultivable number. Approximately 62.5% of the original concentration of CMCP was lost after placement in root canals for 1 day. Intracanal dressing with CMCP between appointments induced a rapid decrease in number of bacteria in root canals within the first 1 to 3 days. However, compared to chemomechanical preparation, the antimicrobial effect of CMCP was not clinically impressive because negative cultures also could be observed despite the absence of intracanal medications.

Neutrophil chemotaxis and periodontal health relationships of young adult people in Thailand.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) from 26 young patients with periodontitis exhibited about 10 per cent less chemotaxis compared to healthy-matched control subjects. This modest but significant reduction of PMN chemotaxis occurred when the attractants were derived from either autologous or heterologous sera. The lower chemotaxis function was attributable to the nature of the PMN in periodontitis and not to the capacity of the patients' serum to generate chemo-attractants. Random migration of PMN was the same in both patients and controls. Kinetic studies with endotoxin-activated human sera showed no difference between the PMN of two periodontitis patients and their controls. No significant correlations were found between chemotaxis and the clinical periodontal indices; however, PMN chemotactic values were lower in localized periodontitis than in the generalized form of the disease.