Western Society of Periodontics

Laboratory Studies

Volume Number 3, 1995

Lower protein concentration in GCF from patients with periodontitis: an indicator of host-specific inflammatory reaction

The purpose of this study was to compare inflamed sites in gingivitis patients with clinically similar sites in periodontitis patients, i.e., inflamed sites without tissue destruction, as well as to compare inflamed sites with various degrees of disease. The protein concentrations were measured in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) that was collected from three types of sites: (1) gingivitis alone (GG); (2) inflamed sites with (PP), or (3) without tissue destruction (GP) in patients with periodontItis. The GCF was sampled with paper strips, and the protein concentration was measured with Bradford protein assay. Higher protein concentrations in GCF were found at inflamed sites in patients with gingivitis alone as compared to sites without tissue destruction in patients with periodontitis. Various degrees of disease in periodontitis patients showed the same protein concentrations. This indicates that the difference in protein concentrations is patient-specific and not site-specific. In other words, the protein concentration is primarily dependent on the type of patient, with gingivitis alone or with periodontitis. [E.L.H.]