Comparative Evaluation of Hydrogen Peroxide Levels in Patients with Periodontal Disease and Healthy Individuals–Pilot Study

Purpose: To assess the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in crevicular fluid samples collected from patients with periodontal disease (PD) and periodontally healthy individuals.

Methods: Crevicular fluid samples were collected from three diseased sites in 20 PD patients and from three healthy sites in 11 periodontally healthy patients (control). Plaque indices, probing depths, clinical attachment levels, and bleeding on probing were measured. Subsequently, the collected samples were categorized into three groups: a gingivitis group (n=8), a periodontitis group (n=12), and a control group (n=11). The quantification of H2O2 content within these samples was analyzed using an H2O2/peroxidase test kit.

Results: Higher levels of H2O2 were found in the periodontitis group compared to group control and gingivitis (p<0.0001). Furthermore, the gingivitis group also shown elevated H2O2 levels compared to the control group (p<0.0001).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the severity of periodontal disease could be associated with elevated levels of H2O2 in gingival crevicular fluid. Hydrogen peroxide may potentially serve as a biomarker for disease progression or for products aimed at enhancing H2O2 release in periodontal treatment. However, further investigations with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs are necessary to corroborate and expand upon these preliminary observations.