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Detection of gingival crevicular fluid cytokines in children and adolescents with and without fixed orthodontic appliances

Objective. To study the expression of IL-1β, IL-4, and IL-8 in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of children, adolescents, and young adults with and without fixed orthodontic appliances. Material and methods. Eighty systemically healthy children and adolescents participated in the study: 56 aged between 8 and 16 years without any orthodontic appliance (Group A) and 24 aged between 10 and 20 years having worn fixed orthodontic appliances for at least 12 months (Group B). Clinical examination included presence or absence of plaque, probing depth, bleeding on probing, and gingival overgrowth. GCF was collected by means of Durapore strips from four randomly selected sites per subject. The contents of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected by ELISA, measured as total amounts (pg/30s) and expressed in log scale. Results. Statistically significant differences were noted for the mean log IL-1β, IL-4, and IL-8 between the two groups: Group B showed significantly higher mean levels in log IL-1β and log IL-8 compared to Group A. Mean levels of log IL-4 were lower in Group B, although they did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, mean levels of log IL-1β and log IL-8 were associated with bleeding sites (p<0.001) and gingival overgrowth, while mean level of log IL-4 was associated with non-bleeding sites and no gingival overgrowth (p<0.001). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that fixed orthodontic appliances result in an increase in the expression of IL-1β and IL-8. This may reflect biologic activity in the periodontium during orthodontic tooth movement.