Association Between Gingival Crevicular Fluid Leptin Levels and Periodontal Status - A Biochemical Study on Indian Patients

The present study was carried out to evaluate and compare the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) concentrations of leptin in periodontally healthy and diseased subjects, to compare GCF leptin levels with respect to Body Mass Index (BMI) among the study groups and essentially to obtain an insight into leptin's possible role in the initiation and progression of periodontal disease. A total of 60 subjects; both males and females, based on their body mass index were selected for the study. They were categorized into three groups of 20 subjects each, based on their periodontal status, as follows: Group I (clinically healthy periodontium); Group II (gingivitis); Group III (chronic periodontitis). GCF samples of 1 μl were collected extra-crevicularly using black color-coded 1-5 μl calibrated volumetric microcapillary pipettes from one site in each person, and samples were analyzed for leptin using a commercially available ELISA kit. The concentration of leptin in GCF of patients in Group I (2272.25 pg/mL) was statistically higher (p < 0.001) than in those of Group II (1421.86 pg/mL) and Group III (1160.67 pg/mL). No statistically significant difference was found when comparing the mean values of leptin between BMI groups in each study group. As periodontal disease progressed, there was a substantial decrease in the gingival crevicular fluid leptin concentration. This suggests a protective role of leptin with regard to periodontal health.