Browsing by Subject "Leukocyte Elastase"

Aim: To find out how different patient-related risk indicators might be associated with the odds of developing preperiodontitis in adolescents. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study used total of 210 Finnish individuals (118 boys / 92 girls, aged 15-16). A specially trained dentist performed clinical examinations. Measurements included periodontal indexes (bleeding on probing, visible plaque index, root calculus and probing depth), smoking status, periodontal bacteria (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella nigrescens and Treponema denticola) and salivary periodontal biomarkers (MMP-8, PMN elastase, protein, albumin, IgA, IgG, and IgM). Results were analyzed by logistic regression and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The main finding of this study was that preperiodontitis in adolescents was statistically significantly associated with elevated salivary MMP-8 but not with PMN elastase. Also, adolescents with preperiodontitis had statistically significantly higher levels of bleeding on probing, root calculus and dental plaque than adolescents without preperiodontitis. Conclusions: We suggest that the main risk factor for preperiodontitis in adolescents is the (partly calcified) dysbiotic bacterial biofilm which leads to gingival inflammation and ≥ 4 mm periodontal pockets (through interaction with the immune defences of the host). This proinflammatory preperiodontitis stage is reflected as elevated salivary MMP-8.