Gingivitis and periodontitis are common bacterial infections caused by a variety of microorganisms. Despite the microorganisms' roles as etiologic agents, inflammation-induced substances also have crucial parts in the loss of connective tissue and the supporting alveolar bone. Visfatin is a pleiotropic mediator, which acts as growth factor, cytokine, and pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor. A positive correlation was detected between the serum/plasma levels of visfatin and inflammatory disorders such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the visfatin level was higher in saliva and the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of subjects with periodontal disease. This review defined current, predictable patterns of possible interaction of visfatin with periodontal infection and other systemic diseases, using PubMed and Medline databases searching for articles written in English. Peer-reviewed articles were targeted using the following keywords: "visfatin," "periodontal disease," "inflammatory mediator," and "biomarker." Available full-text articles were read, and related articles were also scrutinized, while a hand search was also performed. Search was confined to human studies, and articles written in English and published between 1985 and 2016 were selected. It was concluded that periodontal infection and other systemic diseases could be related to the levels of visfatin in GCF, saliva, and serum as a biomarker of these diseases.
Keywords: Biomarker; inflammatory mediator; periodontal disease; visfatin.