Abstract
BACKGROUND: In both states of health and disease, the integrity of connective tissue along with regulation in formation of bones are well maintained by periostin (POSTN) which is a matricellular protein secreted by fibroblasts. The present study aimed to assess the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) POSTN levels in patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) and aggressive periodontitis and to compare them with that of healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 39 individuals were recruited and allocated into the healthy group, and two periodontitis groups (the chronic and the aggressive types) (13 in each group). The samples of GCF fluid were collected using microcapillary pipette. The POSTN levels were estimated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The mean levels of total POSTN in GCF fluid (in pg/μl) were 182.41, 79.87, and 49.28 for the healthy, CP, aggressive periodontitis groups, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups with P < 0.05. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences when compared among the groups with P < 0.05. When all three groups were examined together, there were negative correlations between GCF POSTN levels and clinical parameters. CONCLUSION: The GCF POSTN levels reduced with an increase in the severity of the periodontitis. With the present study results, we could conclude that the GCF POSTN level can be considered as a dependable marker in periodontal disease diagnosis, disease activity, and healing.