Background: Calprotectin (CLP) is a potential marker in inflammation; therefore, this study was designed to compare crevicular fluid levels of CLP among patients having periodontitis and healthy subjects, and also alterations in these levels after initial periodontal therapy and topical application of simvastatin (SMV) in periodontitis.
Methods: Sixty-nine subjects were divided into 2 groups; 15 were healthy controls (group I), and 54 patients were diagnosed as having periodontitis. Those patients were classified equally, as group II treated conventionally and group III treated conventionally as well as application of 1.2% SMV gel. CLP levels and periodontal parameters were detected at baseline and six weeks after periodontal therapy for the periodontitis patients.
Results: CLP levels were higher in patients having periodontitis than, in healthy subjects at baseline. Additionally, periodontal parameters and CLP levels reduced after treatment in both studied groups; however, there was more reduction in these indicators in group III than in group II. Moreover, there was a significant difference in these levels between group I and each of group II and III before and after treatment and also between groups II and III after treatment. However, there were no statistically significant differences in clinical parameters between both groups II and III after treatment, except in periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment level in group III.
Conclusion: Crevicular CLP levels were elevated in periodontitis patients, and significantly decreased following the adjunctive use of SMV. Thus, alteration in these levels could reflect the periodontal inflammation, as well as the clinical treatment outcome.