Role of coenzyme Q(10) as an antioxidant and bioenergizer in periodontal diseases.

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease process resulting from the interaction of a bacterial attack and host inflammatory response. Arrays of molecules are considered to mediate the inflammatory response at one time or another, among these are free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Periodontal pathogens can induce ROS overproduction and thus may cause collagen and periodontal cell breakdown. When ROS are scavenged by antioxidants, there can be a reduction of collagen degradation. Ubiquinol (reduced form coenzyme Q(10)) serves as an endogenous antioxidant which increases the concentration of CoQ(10) in the diseased gingiva and effectively suppresses advanced periodontal inflammation.