Melatonin levels in periodontal health and disease

Abstract

Background and Objective: The aim of this study was to measure melatonin levels in the gingival crevicular fluid and saliva of subjects with healthy periodontal tissues, plaque-induced gingival inflammation, chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis. Material and Methods: A total of 70 subjects were examined and assigned to four groups: healthy periodontium (10 subjects); plaque-induced gingival inflammation (20 subjects); chronic periodontitis (20 subjects); and aggressive periodontitis (20 subjects). Gingival crevicular fluid and saliva samples were collected from each subject and analyzed using ELISAs. Results: The melatonin levels in both gingival crevicular fluid and saliva were lower in patients with chronic periodontitis (10.4 and 12.8 pg/mL, respectively) and aggressive periodontitis (8.4 and 8.8 pg/mL, respectively) than in patients with gingivitis (13.9 and 17.6 pg/mL, respectively) and in healthy subjects (16.6 and 22.9 pg/mL, respectively). The mean melatonin levels in both gingival crevicular fluid and saliva were statistically significantly higher in healthy patients compared with patients with chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis; however, there was no significant difference in the plaque-induced gingival inflammation between the study groups. Conclusions: The melatonin levels in gingival crevicular fluid and saliva are decreased in diseased periodontal tissues, especially periodontitis. The melatonin level was lowest in the aggressive periodontitis group. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.