Background and objective: This study was planned to investigate whether patients with chronic periodontitis exhibit different salivary and/or plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-17 and IL-18 compared with clinically healthy subjects.
Material and methods: Whole saliva and blood samples, together with full-mouth clinical periodontal recordings, were obtained from 22 otherwise healthy untreated nonsmokers with chronic periodontitis and from 21 systemically and periodontally healthy control subjects. The concentrations of IL-17 and IL-18 in saliva and plasma were determined using ELISAs.
Results: The healthy control group exhibited significantly lower values in all clinical periodontal measurements (p < 0.001). The salivary concentration of IL-17 was significantly lower, and that of IL-18 significantly higher, in patients from the chronic periodontitis group compared with healthy control subjects (p = 0.025 and p = 0.009, respectively). Plasma IL-17 and IL-18 concentrations were similar in the two study groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Within the limits of the present study, it may be suggested that an elevated salivary IL-18 level in untreated nonsmoker chronic periodontitis patients has the potential to be a biomarker for periodontal tissue destruction.
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.