Comparison of immunoexpression of dendritic cells, mast cells and blood vessels in periodontal disease between adults and elderly

Objective The aim of this study was to compare, in adults and elderly individuals, the immunoexpression of immature and mature dendritic cells (DCs), mast cells, and blood vessels in healthy and diseased gingival tissues. Materials and methods The expressions of immunohistochemical markers, including CD1a (immature dendritic cells), CD83 (mature dendritic cells), tryptase (mast cells) and CD34 (blood vessels), were analyzed in gingival biopsies from elderly ( n = 27) and adult ( n = 127) patients presenting health, gingivitis and periodontitis. Positive cells for each specimen and marker were counted. Results There were no differences in the immunostaining of DCs, mast cells and the amount of blood vessels among gingival biopsies with health, gingivitis and periodontitis in adult and elderly subjects ( p > 0.05). Immature DCs were more frequent in tissues with gingivitis and periodontitis in elderly patients, when compared to adults ( p