Objectives: This study assessed the frequency of nuclear morphological changes in gingival epithelial cells, as a biomarker for DNA damage, in individuals with periodontitis, before and after implementation of periodontal therapy, and compared the morphology to those with healthy periodontal tissues.
Materials and methods: Exfoliated gingival cells were taken from 30 participants without periodontal destruction in any teeth and 30 participants with periodontitis before and after 45 and 90 days following treatment. Nuclear morphological changes were analyzed using the micronucleus test.
Results: Compared with the healthy volunteers, those with periodontitis had a significant increase in the number of cells with nuclear broken eggs (P = 0.048), condensed chromatin (P = 0.015), karyolysis (P < 0.001), or binuclei (P < 0.001). In the periodontitis group, the pretreatment frequencies of cells with micronuclei (P = 0.008), binuclei (P < 0.001), karyolysis (P = 0.038), nuclear buds (P = 0.005), and condensed chromatin (P = 0.015) were significantly higher than 90 days after treatment.
Conclusion: Our observations suggest that periodontal disease increases the frequency of nuclear morphological changes in gingival epithelial cells and that the implementation of periodontal therapy was associated with a reduction of that number.
Clinical relevance: The micronucleus test could serve as a tool for estimating genotoxic damage in assessing the success of periodontal therapy.
Keywords: DNA damage; Gingiva; Micronucleus test; Periodontal diseases.