Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry have developed a single score to describe the level of cytokines in saliva, and this score is linked with the severity of clinical gum inflammation, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
While more research is needed to test the “cytokine score,” it could hold promise for measuring how well a patient responds to treatment for gum disease, predicting gum disease recurrence, or detecting ongoing inflammation related to systemic diseases.
“Periodontal inflammation is not just apparent upon examination, but is reflected in the patient’s saliva,” said Angela Kamer, DMD, MS, Ph.D., associate professor of the Ashman Department of Periodontology & Implant Dentistry at NYU Dentistry and the study’s senior author.
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