Changes in gingival crevicular fluid interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma in patients with chronic periodontitis before and after periodontal initial therapy.

Cytokines are pivotal to the immune response of chronic periodontitis. The present study investigated the changes of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in patients with chronic periodontitis before and after initial nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT). GCF was collected from 17 patients by means of Periopaper at baseline and 1 month after NSPT. IL-4 and IFN-gamma were measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. NSPT resulted in decreased total amount of IFN-gamma, increased concentration of IL-4, and increased ratio of IL-4 to IFN-gamma levels. We suggest that a low ratio of IL-4 to IFN-gamma levels might be involved in the destruction (diseased sites) of periodontal tissue, whereas an increased ratio of IL-4 to IFN-gamma levels could be related to the improvement of clinical periodontal health.