2002 Volume 44 Issue 1 Pages 73-81
Biochemical markers in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) have been studied to precisely and objectively diagnose periodontal disease. Carboxy terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (P1 CP) and osteocalcin (OCN) are bone-related proteins produced by osteoblasts that are useful clinical indicators of metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis and hyperparathyroidism. To determine bone-related markers in GCF, we studied the presence of P1 CP and OCN in GCF from periodontitis patients using immunoenzymatic kits and the relationship between P1 CP/OCN amounts and clinical parameters involving gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and bleeding on probing (BOP). GCF samples were collected with paperstrips from 70 diseased sites (PD>4 mm) in 70 periodontitis patients and from 30 healthy sites (PD<3 mm) in 30 healthy volunteers. A mean of 1.04 ng/site (0.91 ng/μl) P1 CP was found at diseased sites and a mean of 0.17 ng/site (0.38 ng/μl) at healthy sites, showing a 6.1-fold amount of P1 CP at diseased sites. A mean of 56.3 pg/site (47.6 pg/μl) OCN was found at diseased sites and a mean of 38.8 pg/site (123.9 pg/μl) at healthy sites, showing a 1.5-fold amount of OCN at diseased sites. Both P1 CP and OCN in GCF correlated positively with GI and PD, especially P1 CP, P1 CP greatly increased at BOP-positive sites (5.5-fold), suggesting that P1 CP may reflect disease activity in alveolar bone metabolism. These results indicate that P1 CP and OCN are present in GCF and that these molecules may be useful as a bonerelated marker in periodontitis. P1 CP may prove to be an especially potent marker for bone turnover in periodontitis. J Jpn Soc Periodontol, 44: 73-81, 2002.
