Pentraxin-3 levels in gingival crevicular fluid during orthodontic tooth movement in young and adult patients

OBJECTIVES: To measure the levels of pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in orthodontic young and adult patients in the first 2 weeks after the orthodontic appliance to determine whether those changes occur during orthodontic treatment and if those values could be the expression of an inflammatory state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: GCF samples were collected with paper strips from 16 orthodontic young patients and 13 orthodontic adult patients from an upper canine requiring distalization as a test tooth. A contralateral canine was used as a control tooth. The absorbed volume was eluted in 100 µL phosphate-buffered saline (pH = 7.2). PTX-3 levels in GCF were determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and the results were expressed in ng/mL. RESULTS: The results showed an increase of GCF levels of PTX-3 from 1 hour before the orthodontic appliance to a maximum at 24 hours, followed by a decrease in both groups of adult and young patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest PTX-3 involvement in periodontal orthodontic remodeling and the aseptic inflammation induced by the orthodontic forces.