Epigenetics and periodontal disease: future perspectives

Periodontitis is a multifactorial infection characterized by inflammation and destruction of tooth supporting tissues, as a result of the response of a susceptible host to bacterial challenge. Studies have demonstrated that epigenetic events are able to influence the production of cytokines, contributing to the development of inflammatory diseases. Epigenetic events act through the remodeling of chromatin and can selectively activate or inactivate genes, determining their expression. The epigenetic process, by inducing a change in cytokine profile, may subsequently influence the pathogenesis and determine the outcome of many infectious diseases. These findings may have relevance for inflammatory diseases in which the expression of cytokines is unregulated. The purpose of this review is to show evidence that supports the hypothesis that epigenetic alterations, such as hyper and hypomethylation, of cytokine genes, could help to understand the mechanisms related to periodontal disease activity. Therefore, epigenetics may have future impact on diagnosis and/or therapeutics of periodontal disease.