Total Protein Concentration of Gingival Crevicular Fluid as an Indicator of the Severity of Periodontal Disease

The condition of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) has been regarded as the best reflection of the state and severity of periodontal tissue destruction due to periodontal disease. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of GCF can provide important clinical diagnosistic information necessary for periodontal therapy. This study was designed to determine whether GCF protein concentrations may be an indicator of the severity of periodontal disease. The subjects were 23 first visit patients with adult periodontitis (14 women and 9 men), whose mean age was 52.7 years with a range of 30-83 years. Ninety-three different sites with radiographic evidence of alveolar bone loss were randomly selected. The clinical parameters used in this study were Plaque Index, GCF volume, probing depth, attachment level, Gingival Index and tooth mobility. GCF was collected with a filter paper strip (Periopaper ®) inserted into the gingival sulcus to a level 1mm below the gingival margin for 3 min. Each strip was subjected to volume determination with a Periotron ® 6000 and protein measurement by Lowry's method. As a result, the relationships between protein concentrations and the aforementioned clinical parameters were all statistically significant at p< 0.01 by Spearman's test. The correlation coefficients were 0.41, 0.70, 0.31, 0.29, 0.60 and 0.39, respectively. Among these, protein concentrations and GCF volume correlated remarkably well. It was suggested that GCF protein concentrations may be an important indicator of periodontal breakdown because GCF volume is considered the most objective and effective parameter.