Abstract :

Periodontal disease is a polymicrobial infection, characterized by gingival inflammation, pocket formation, loss of connective tissue attachment and supporting alveolar bone. Though the etiology of periodontal disease has been established and micro-organisms have been implicated, pathology of these inflammatory lesions have been attributed not only to bacterial products, that have adverse effects on the tissues, but also to chemical mediators released by the host cells, as a result of inflammatory and immune reactions. Oral micro- organisms trigger the endogenous pathways of tissue degradation by activating host cells to produce and release inflammatory mediators and cytokines. These inflammatory mediators and cytokines manifest potent pro-inflammatory and catabolic activity and may play a key role in local amplification of the immune response as well as in periodontal tissue breakdown
Apart from playing an important role in periodontal destruction, systemic elevation of TNF-α levels is extremely toxic to the host and hence has been termed as the “Suicide hormone”. TNF-α, has been postulated to mediate wasting during chronic infections. This review aims to explore the role of TNF-α in periodontal disease & its implication on systemic health.

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Keywords :

Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha

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