The effect of systemic anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment on Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in type 2 diabetic mice.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease are two common chronic diseases that have long been thought to be biologically linked. Overexpression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is thought to contribute to this bidirectional inter-relationship. This study examined the effect of anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment on Porphyromonas gingivalis infection in diabetic mice.