Melatonin expression in periodontal disease

Background and Objective: It was the purpose of this study to examine the relationship between periodontal diseases and melatonin level. Material and Methods: Forty‐six patients with periodontal disease, together with 26 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls, were included. Periodontal status was assessed using the Community Periodontal Index. Plasma and salivary melatonin levels were determined using specific commercial radioimmunoassays, whereas lymphocyte subpopulations (e.g. CD3, CD4, CD8, C19 and natural killer cells) were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results: Patients with periodontal disease had significantly (p