Association of crevicular fluid elastase-like activity with histologically-confirmed attachment loss in ligature-induced periodontitis in beagle dogs.

Experimental periodontitis was induced using ligatures in 6 beagle dogs over 57 days. Levels of elastase like activity in healthy sites, gingivitis sites, and in sites ligated for different time points were analyzed with respect to levels of histologically confirmed attachment loss. Attachment loss increased with increasing periods of ligation and reached a maximum of 0.15 mm at 57 days. Maximum loss of histological attachment was found to coincide with the period of maximum enzyme activity; during the first 7 days of ligature. Spearman correlation analysis of enzyme activity with attachment loss yielded a significant correlation (0.73, p=0.0396). The healthy and gingivitis sites were found to have minimal levels of enzyme activity throughout. Thus, this prospective study in beagle dogs found a relationship between histologically confirmed attachment loss and increased levels of elastase like activity indicating the probable usefulness of this parameter, either alone or in conjunction with other markers, for disclosing active periodontitis.