Crevicular fluid prostaglandin E2 levels in periodontitis-resistant and periodontitis-susceptible adults

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine concentrations of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in a cohort of periodontal disease-resistant (PDR) adults with chronic gingivitis but with minimal evidence of bone loss, and to compare these data with GCF-PGE(2) levels in patients with untreated chronic adult periodontal disease (CAPD). 20 PDR and 35 CAPD subjects with mean (+/-se) ages 52.4 (+/-2.9) and 43.7 (+/-1.2) years respectively, were recruited. GCF was sampled from 6 sites in each PDR subject and 4 sites in each CAPD subject. The GCF-PGE(2) concentrations were determined by enzyme immunoassay (Assay Designs). Whole mouth medians of site-specific GCF-PGE(2) concentrations were calculated for each subject. The means of the median GCF-PGE(2) concentrations were: PDR 54.94+/-4.06 ng/ml; CAPD 41.57+/-2.91 ng/ml (p=0.009). We hypothesise that the higher concentrations of PGE(2) in the PDR group may be associated with the proliferating pocket epithelia of the chronic gingivitis. In the CAPD cohort, there were no differences in GCF-PGE(2) concentrations between subgroups of smokers (n=13), ex-smokers (n=11) and non smokers (n=11). In the PDR cohort, 19/20 subjects were non-smokers.