ELISA Evaluation of RANKL Levels in Gingival Fluid in Patients with Periodontitis and Occlusal Trauma

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in RANKL levels in crevicular fluid (GCF) in patients with chronic periodontitis, with or without chronic occlusal trauma. The study group consisted of 40 patients from whom 72 samples of crevicular fluid were collected. RANKL levels were analyzed by ELISA. We noticed significantly higher differences in RANKL levels for the study group (occlusive trauma patients) than for systemic healthy patients (p = 8.008). Research has shown that secondary occlusal trauma associated with periodontal disease is characterized by significantly higher RANKL levels in patients with chronic occlusal trauma. This partially clarifies the molecular mechanisms that underlie more severe tissue destruction in patients with occlusal trauma.