Longitudinal evaluation of GCF IFN-γ levels and periodontal status in HIV+ patients

Background/Aim: Loss of periodontal support and related tooth loss is a common finding among HIV+ patients. The etiology of this destruction may be an increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and subsequent increase in periodontal disease activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between gingival crevicular fluid interferon gamma (GCF IFN-gamma) and clinical measures of periodontal disease in HIV+ individuals. We monitored GCF IFN-gamma and periodontal status of selected sites in 33 HIV+ subjects over a 6-month period. Method: Clinical measurements including gingival index, plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, attachment loss (AL), and GCF samples were taken from four lower incisors and the upper right posterior sextant of each patient at baseline and 6-month visits by means of sterile paper strips. GCF levels of IFN-gamma were determined by sandwich ELISA assays. A progressing site was defined as a site that had 2 mm or more AL during the 6-month study period. Results: Twenty-five of the 264 examination sites showed 2 mm or more clinical AL during the 6-month study period. Significantly higher GCF levels of IFN-gamma were found at progressing sites than in nonprogressing sites (p<0.001). GCF levels of IFN-gamma were highly correlated with clinical measurements taken at baseline and 6-month visits (0.001<p<0.01). Conclusion: These data indicate that sites with high GCF levels of IFN-gamma are at significantly greater risk for progression of periodontitis in HIV+ patients.