Comparison of the Concentration of Inflammatory Cytokines TNF-α and Interleukin-1β in Saliva of Healthy Subjects and Patients with Gingivitis and Chronic Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the supporting tissues of the tooth that is caused by microorganisms. Nowadays, the role of inflammatory mediators has been shown in innate and acquired immunity in periodontitis, and some of them play important roles in the pathogenesis of periodontitis.This study aimed to determine and compare the concentration of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and interleukin-1 beta in the saliva of healthy subjects and patients with gingivitis and chronic periodontitis.

This study was conducted based on a descriptive-analytical design. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 45 subjects, including healthy individuals (n=15), and the patients with periodontitis (n=15) and gingivitis (n=15). Subsequently, the level of TNF-α and interleukin-1 beta were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reader. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 11) through ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc tests, and Pearson correlation coefficient.

There was a significant difference among the three groups regarding the mean concentration of interleukin-1 beta and TNF-α (P<0.001). Healthy subjects exhibited significantly lower concentration of TNF-α, compared to those with gingivitis. Moreover, the patients with gingivitis showed lower concentration of TNF-α, compared to the group with chronic periodontitis (P<0.001). Regarding the concentration of interleukin-1 beta, healthy subjects exhibited significantly lower concentration in this regard, compared to those with chronic periodontitis (P<0.001). Furthermore, the group with chronic periodontitis obtained lower level of this value, compared to the group with gingivitis (P<0.001). Additionally, there was a direct and significant relationship between IL-1 and TNF-α concentration in patients with gingivitis (P=0.03 and r=0.354) and all the subjects (P

The levels ofTNF-αand interleukin-1 beta in saliva increased during periodontal disease, compared to healthy conditions.