Cyclosporin-induced gingival overgrowth: correlation with dental plaque scores, gingivitis scores, and cyclosporin levels in serum and saliva.

Gingival overgrowth, dental plaque, and gingivitis were assessed by means of standardized semiquantitative indices in thirty renal transplant patients undergoing immunosuppression with cyclosporin-A (Cy-A). Radioimmunoassay techniques were used to determine Cy-A in serum samples and in parotid, submandibular, and whole saliva samples from each patient. A significant positive correlation was found between gingival overgrowth scores and both dental plaque and gingivitis scores. A significant positive correlation was found between whole-saliva Cy-A and both plaque and gingival overgrowth scores. No such correlation was found when parotid Cy-A or submandibular Cy-A was considered. This was attributed to differences in saliva-collection methods, and a possible role of dental plaque as a local reservoir of Cy-A is proposed.