Increased Salivary Periodontal Pathogens and IL-17A in Oral Lichen Planus Patients with or without Periodontitis

Abstract

Aim: Patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) who have gingival involvement are at increased risk for periodontal disease. This study aimed to investigate salivary levels of periodontopathic bacteria and inflammatory cytokines in OLP patients with or without periodontitis. Materials and methods: Seventeen OLP patients and 20 control subjects were evaluated for their Periodontal Screening and Recording (PSR) score to classify if they had periodontitis. Four groups were studied, OLP patients with periodontitis (OLP-P), without periodontitis (OLP), periodontitis patients (P) and normal subjects (N). Salivary levels of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Treponema denticola (Td), and Tannerella forsythia (Tf) were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Salivary levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: OLP-P and P groups had higher plaque index, bleeding on probing, and PSR scores than other groups. OLP-P and OLP patients had increased salivary Aa, Fn, Pi, Td, Tf with significantly high levels of Pi as well as high salivary IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17A. IL-17A levels were significantly highest in the OLP-P group. Salivary IL-1β was significantly correlated with the level of Pi. Conclusion: OLP patients with or without periodontitis had high levels of salivary periodontal pathogens and IL-17A. Clinical significance: These data supported that OLP patients were at high risk for periodontitis. Oral hygiene maintenance in OLP patients with gingival lesions is of importance and could help prevent periodontitis.