Non-surgical periodontal therapy decreases serum elastase levels in aggressive but not in chronic periodontitis

Aim Assessment of the effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy (SRP) on serum inflammatory parameters in patients with untreated aggressive (AgP) and chronic (ChP) periodontitis. Methods Overall, 31 ChP and 29 AgP were examined clinically prior to and 12weeks after SRP (subgingival scaling of all pockets within 2days) with systemic antibiotics for patients positive for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (14 AgP, 9 ChP). Blood was sampled prior to, one day, 6, and 12weeks after the first SRP visit. Serum elastase, C-reactive protein (CRP), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), interleukin (IL) 6, 8, and leukocyte counts were assessed. Results At baseline, serum elastase, CRP, and LBP were significantly (p<0.01) higher in AgP than ChP. Serum elastase, CRP, LBP, and IL-6 were significantly (p<0.001) elevated one day after scaling in both groups. Both groups showed significant clinical improvement (p<0.001). A significant difference was observed regarding change of serum elastase 12weeks after SRP between AgP and ChP (p=0.015). Multiple regression analysis revealed AgP, African origin, and bleeding on probing to be associated with more pronounced elastase reduction. CRP reduction was associated with African origin, systemic antibiotics, and baseline probing pocket depth. Conclusion SRP results in serum elastase reduction in AgP but not in ChP.