[The effect of dental plaque in cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth].

Purpose: To evaluate the role of dental plaque in cyclosporin A(CsA)-induced gingival overgrowth.

Methods: After extraction of half of the maxillary molars, twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to a CsA-injection group (10mg/k x d) or a control group. Ten rats per group were sacrificed at week 4. The gingival width was measured under a stereomicroscope. Gingival specimens were taken, and the linear measurements were made with the help of software Image Pro-plus 6.0. The data was analyzed with SAS 6.12 software package.

Results: The gingival width of the CsA group was significantly greater than the control group in both macroscopic analysis and histomorphometrical analysis (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Dental plaque seems not to be a essential but to be a co-factor for the CsA-induced gingival overgrowth.