Inflammatory mediators in saliva and gingival fluid of children with congenital heart defect.

Objectives: (a) To compare levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in children with and without congenital heart defects (CHD cases and controls) and to test whether a systemic component exists in CHD cases by controlling for gingivitis and plaque scores. (b) To correlate the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators in GCF and saliva with plaque bacterial composition among CHD cases and controls.

Materials And Methods: Whole un-stimulated saliva and GCF samples were collected (60 CHD cases, 60 controls [Sudan]) and were analysed for levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ra (IL-1ra) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels.