The effects of overhang amalgam restoration on levels of cytokines, gingival crevicular fluid volume and some periodontal parameters.

PURPOSE

To evaluate clinical periodontal findings and GCF levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) in patients with overhang amalgam restorations before and after overhang restoration removal.

METHODS

22 volunteer subjects (age range: 22-42 years old) with 22 overhang Class II amalgam restorations were selected. GCF samples were obtained from adjacent and contralateral teeth for IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α measurements and analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The amalgam overhangs were removed and the readings were repeated at the end of 1 week. Clinical periodontal assessments, including gingival index (GI) and plaque index (PI) were performed at baseline and after 1 week. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test and independent sample t-test at a significance level of 0.05. Correlations were investigated using Pearson correlation analysis.

RESULTS

A significant reduction in GI and PI was observed after removal of the overhanging restoration on Day 7. (P< 0.05) However, there was no significant difference between IL-6 (P= 0.857), IL-8 (P= 0.579) and TNF-α (P= 0.958) levels before and after overhang restoration removal. There were no significant correlations between laboratory findings and clinical parameters.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Dental restorations may produce periodontal disease and may alter tooth form, surface integrity, relationship with the periodontium and adjacent teeth. The marginal edge located in the gingival sulcus is likely the cause of the inflammatory reaction. This study showed significant improvement in clinical periodontal parameters after removing the overhangs of restorations.