Elucidating the molecular healing of intrabony defects following non-surgical periodontal therapy: A pilot study.

Objective: To elucidate the molecular healing of intrabony defects following non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) using gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

Background Data: Currently limited information is available regarding the GCF of intrabony defects and the change in biomarker levels in the GCF at early time points following treatment interventions.

Methods: Twenty-one patients (Periodontitis Stage III or IV) who have received NSPT, contributing one intrabony defect and one healthy site were included in this study. GCF sampling was performed at baseline, 1 day, 5 days and 3 months after NSPT. Multiplex bead immunoassays allowed the profiling of GCF for 27 markers, associated with inflammation and repair/regeneration. A mixed effects model with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was employed to compare the changes in the levels of GCF markers over time.

Results: Following NSPT, changes were observed for several GCF markers, marked by significant increases 1 day post-intervention, before returning to baseline levels by 3 months. Specifically, GCF concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, MMP-1, MMP-3, TIMP-1 and FGFb significantly increased 1 day after NSPT. Signs of activation of cellular senescence were observed 1 day following treatment of intrabony defects, rapidly regressing by 5 days.

Conclusion: Significant molecular changes are observed as early as 1 day following NSPT in intrabony defects, along with activation of cellular senescence.