Gingival fluid IL-1 beta in postmenopausal females on supportive periodontal therapy - A longitudinal 2-year study

Posterior interproximal alveolar bone in 59 women, within 5 years after men opause, was assessed at baseline and after 2 years of supportive periodonta l therapy (history of moderate/advanced periodontitis) using digitized imag e analysis. Baseline lumbar spine bone mineral density, smoking status, and yearly serum estradiol (E-2) levels also were obtained to group subjects. An additional 16 non-periodontitis postmenopausal women were followed 2 yea rs for clinical and estrogen Status: 2-min GCF IL-1 beta levels averaged fr om 2 baseline periodontal pockets (in periodontitis subjects) and 2 non-per iodontitis sites (in non-periodontitis and periodontitis subjects) were det ermined with an enzyme immunoassay. A progressive and stable site were also monitored every 6 months for GCF IL-I beta in 15 patients. Results after 2 years indicated that 17 subjects had no posterior interproximal sites losi ng greater than or equal to 0.4 mm of alveolar crest bone height, while 13 subjects had greater than or equal to 3 such sites. Using analysis of varia nce, none of the above clinical groupings resulted in a significant differe nce in mean baseline or longitudinal GCF IL-1 beta levels. However, when su bjects who lost alveolar crest bone height were considered, E-2-sufficient subjects had significantly depressed baseline GCF IL-1 beta (in past-period ontitis sites) compared to E-2-deficient patients (9.1+/-2.1 versus 31.7+/- 10.2 pg/2-min sample, p<0.05), suggesting E-2 influences gingival IL-1 beta production in progressive periodontitis patients.