GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS AND PERIODONTAL-DISEASE - ANALYSIS OF GCF BY SAFRANIN-O

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY was to quantify glycosaminoglycans (GAG) released into the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during health, gingivitis, and adult periodontitis. The investigation tested the hypothesis that increased amounts of GAG can be measured in GCF associated with gingivitis and adult periodontitis as compared to health. An individual patient's sampling sites were assigned to either a health (control) group or 1 of 3 experimental groups, gingivitis, periodontal ''maintenance'' (perio-M), or periodontal ''non-maintenance'' (perio-NM) according to standard clinical criteria of pocket probing depth, bleeding on probing, and radiographic evidence of bone loss. The perio-M group was defined as a periodontal patient who had received a dental prophylaxis and/or root planing within 6 months prior to GCF collection. The perio-NM group had received no periodontal therapy during the previous 6 months..Subsequent to air-drying and isolation, GCF was collected by a microcapillary pipette held at the gingival margin. All fluid samples were digested overnight at 37-degrees-C with 25 mug of papain and analyzed for GAG content using a chondroitin-4-sulfate standard. Data generated from safranin ''O'' dye binding assays of GAG revealed 4.41 +/- 9.82 ng GAG from the health (control) group (n = 23); the gingivitis group (n = 13) showed 15.23 +/- 11.85 ng GAG/sample; perio-M group (n = 11) showed 23.64 +/- 12.98 ng GAG/sample and the perio-NM group (n = 12) exhibited 119.08 +/- 33.14 ng GAG/sample. Using Dunn's multiple comparison procedure, statistically significant differences were found between the perio-NM and health groups; perio-M and perio-NM; and perio-NM and gingivitis groups at P < 0.01 while significance at P < 0.05 was found between health and perio-M groups. However, no significant differences were observed between gingivitis and health groups or gingivitis and perio-M groups. The safranin ''O'' assay method may be a useful indicator of osseous and connective tissue changes within the periodontium.