title: Potential effect of neutrophil functional disorders on pathogenesis of aggressive periodontitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leukocytes play a key role in maintaining the balance between an effective host defence response to microorganisms and periodontal tissue destruction. Neutrophil dysfunction has been associated with increased susceptibility to periodontal diseases. We undertook this study to determine to what extent neutrophil dysfunction constitutes to the pathogenesis of aggressive periodontitis (AgP) in tropical country like ours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age- and sex-matched groups consisting of 20 subjects each of generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP)-cases and nonperiodontitis (NP)-controls. diabetes mellitus, HIV infection, prolonged antibiotic use and smoking were excluded. Each neutrophil function was assessed using the chemotactic assay using case in, phagocytosis assay, candidacidal assay (for intracellular killing) and NBT assay (for respiratory burst failure).
  
  
  METHODS
  Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test and Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study 17 out of 20 subjects (85%) had at least one abnormal neutrophil assay either hypofunctional or hyperfunctional of which 16 (80%) had hypofunctional assays and 8 (40%) had hyperfunctional assays. Defective phagocytosis was the commonest (50%) followed by chemotactic defect (45%), defective respiratory burst (40%) and defective intracellular killing (30%). Mean of chemotaxis assay was significantly less in AgP when compared to controls (103 vs 129 µm, p=0.002), similarly for phagocytic defect (3.45 vs 4.65, p≤0.001) and with candidacidal assay (26.80 vs 37.35, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of neutrophil dysfunction, predominantly hypofunctional, was significantly very high in GAP patients with few even having hyperactive respiratory burst function. Multiple level neutrophil defects could account for the aggressive nature of AgP even in apparently healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Reader, Department of Periodontology, Al-Badar Rural Dental College and Hospital, Gulbarga, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Roopali P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Tapashetti
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Sudhir R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Sowjanaya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guvva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D010520:Aggressive Periodontitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D002175:Candida / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D009580:Nitroblue Tetrazolium; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D016897:Respiratory Burst / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009580:Nitroblue Tetrazolium