Análisis de MMPs en fluidos orales en el diagnóstico complementario de las enfermedades periodontales

periodontal disease is the most common bacterial infection worldwide and it can contribute to enhance the risk for the development of several systemic diseases. the status of periodontal inflammation and destruction can be reflected in biomarker measurement in serum and oral fluids, like gingival crevicular fluid (gcf), saliva and mouth-rinse. some enzymes, such as matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) and myeloperoxidase are potential candidates for chair-side point-of-care oral fluid assays. this review is focused on the utility of matrix metalloproteinase (mmp) analysis in oral fluid as a complementary diagnostic method to chronic periodontitis. levels of mmp-9,-13 and specially of mmp-8, reflect oral inflammatory status and discriminate among healthy, gingivitis, periodontitis and periimplantitis individuals, whereas mmp levels and activation in gcf and serum are in line with the improvement of clinical parameters in response to periodontal treatment. as a conclusion, mmp-8 assessment in gcf could represent a helpful adjunctive method to traditional diagnostics to identify periodontitis or patients at risk to develop the disease, monitor treatment phases, improvement of periodontal signs and even screen the systemic inflammation status.