Strategies for managing periodontal inflammation.

Most of the tissue destruction in periodontal disease is caused by the patient's inflammatory response. Classical approaches to controlling inflammation rely on attempts to eliminate pathogenic bacteria that incite the inflammatory response through mechanical or chemical means. This approach still has a place in treating periodontal inflammation today. Emerging and future approaches will rely more on modifying the inflammatory response itself, by limiting the activity of proinflammatory pathways and by amplifying pathways that resolve inflammation.