Increase in the level of oral neutrophils with gingival inflammation – A population survey

OBJECTIVES: Host responses to oral inflammation include a continuous and substantive response with the influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). PMN, referred to as first responders, migrate rapidly from the circulatory system through the connective tissue to mitigate stimuli and localize in the saliva. This study examined the relationship between the well-established clinical indices of gingivitis and dental plaque and the PMN level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled adults aged 18–75 years, who provided voluntary informed consent. Oral rinse samples were collected from 159 participants to estimate the PMN levels prior to the full-mouth assessment for gingivitis and dental plaque using the respective clinical indices. RESULTS: The gingival index and dental plaque index scores were in the range of 0.098–2.71 and 0.73–4.78, respectively. Regardless of the age and gender, higher number of PMN was observed with higher gingival index and dental plaque index scores. Our analyses indicated a significant correlation between the oral PMN level and gingival index with a correlation coefficient of 0.66 (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the correlation between the PMN level and dental plaque index was statistically significant with a correlation coefficient of 0.57 (p < 0.0001). Regression analysis identified a significant relationship between the PMN level and clinical indices (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Increase in the PMN levels with increasing clinical scores (gingival and dental plaque indices) reflect the oral inflammatory burden, irrespective of age or gender. These observations warrant future studies on participants stratified by health status and research directed toward examining the effects of interventions.