A role for TNF in bone resorption of deciduous molars in human beings

In this study, tumor necrosis-alpha was sampled from the gingival crevice o f human deciduous molars; this was compared with values measured from the c revice of those deciduous molars missing a permanent successor, and from th e crevice of deciduous ankylosed molars. Tumor necrosis-alpha was harvested from the gingival crevice with magnetic microspheres coated with tumor nec rosis-alpha antibodies. The amount of bead-bound tumor necrosis-alpha was q uantified with the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One hundred seven sites (from 41 patients) were sampled; for each patient, the normal value was compared with either the molars missing a permanent successor or ankylosed value. The tumor necrosis-alpha levels were 1.6 times higher from the crevice of ankylosed deciduous molars when compared with normal decidu ous molars and 2.6 times higher from the crevice of sites with a molar miss ing a permanent successor. The mean and standard error mean distribution of tumor necrosis-a expressed as picograms was: normal molars 91 pg (standard error mean +/- 20), ankylosed molars 150 pg (standard error mean +/- 31), and missing permanent successor 236 pg (standard error mean +/- 67). Analys is of variance showed the difference among the 3 means was close to attaini ng significant difference (F [2.104] = 2.7905, P = .066). Multiple comparis on procedures indicated that the mean for molars missing a permanent succes sor and the normal groups were significantly different, P = .05. The result s of this study suggest tumor necrosis-alpha values are elevated in the gin gival crevice of deciduous molars with ankylosis and where the permanent to oth bud is congenitally missing.