Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) on the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of smokers (light and heavy) and non-smokers with gingivitis (G) and chronic periodontal disease (CPD). Forty-five patients were selected: 15 heavy smokers whose daily tobacco consumption was more than 10 cigarettes/day (HS), 15 light smokers whose daily tobacco consumption was fewer than 10 cigarettes/day (LS), and 15 non-smokers who had never smoked tobacco (NS). Clinical periodontal parameters (plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and clinical attachment level (CAL)) were recorded for all groups. Each group was separated in both sites: G and CPD, and GCF samples were collected, and analyzed for PGE₂ content by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results indicated that the non-smoking group had higher PI (88.53±17.08%) and BOP (82.80±17.14%) scores than the two smoking groups. PD, GR and CAL scores did not differ significantly among the three groups. Statistically significance differences in GCF-PGE₂ were found among G versus CPD sites (P≤0.05) for the three groups. This study confirms that heavy and light smokers have less BOP and GCF-PGE₂ levels than non-smokers and that the GCF-PGE₂ was higher to CPD sites when compared with G sites.

Key words: Periodontal disease, gingival crevicular fluid, smoker, prostaglandin E₂.