Role of Interleukin 1-ALPHA in GCF with Aggressive Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an infectious disease which is characterized by the inflammation of periodontium in response to the bacterial flora in the oral cavity. Imbalance between the protective and destructive host mechanism which are initiated with infection is the reason for the tissue destruction in periodontitis. Periodontal tissue damage is detected by two means 1) probing which can measure the depth of the pocket and loss of attachment.2) radiographs which shows alveolar bone loss. Molecular messengers are the determinants of the efficient innate and adaptive immune response which helps in better understanding of interplay among the various components of the immune system. Aggressive periodontitis occurs in patients who are clinically healthy otherwise, has features like rapid attachment loss, bone destruction and familial aggregation. Among the three fluids in the oral cavity saliva, GCF and serum, saliva and GCF are the most commonly used fluids for diagnostic purposes because of their ease of collection and minimally invasive collecting procedure. GCF is an inflammatory exudate that seeps in to the gingival crevices or the periodontal pockets around the tooth with gingival inflammation. It contains a rich array of cellular and biochemical factors which helps in indicating the metabolic status of various components of periodontium. They are composed of enzymes and locally generated materials like tissue breakdown products, antibodies against dental plaque bacteria and inflammatory mediators.