Gingival Crevicular Fluid Levels of Interleukin – 18 in Chronic Periodontitis and Aggressive Periodontitis – A Comparative Study

Aim: The aim of the study was to estimate and compare the levels of IL-18 in gingival crevicular fluid of chronic periodontitis patients, aggressive periodontitis patients and healthy controls and to correlate them with clinical parameters of the disease.
Materials and Methods: The study populations include chronic periodontitis (20), aggressive periodontitis (20) and healthy subjects (20). The clinical parameters such as PI, GI, PPD, and CAL were assessed. GCF samples were collected from the site with the deepest probing depth. The levels of IL-18 were analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: The mean levels of IL-18 in GCF for healthy controls were 441.5+1434.2, for chronic periodontitis group it was 1160.4+3096.9, and for aggressive periodontitis group it was 784.3+1834.3. There was no statistically significant difference observed between the three groups (p=0.205). The correlations obtained between clinical parameters and IL-18 levels were found to be statistically insignificant.
Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the levels of IL-18 in GCF between healthy controls, chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis groups. There is no significant correlation between the levels of IL-18 and clinical parameters such as PI, GI, PPD, and CAL in chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis.