Specific antibodies and their potential role in periodontal diseases.

Periodontal diseases are thought to result from inflammatory responses to bacterial challenges in the gingival crevicular area. Antibodies are a major host-protective mechanism in many bacterial infections. Consequently, the antibody responses to suspected periodontal pathogenic bacteria have been extensively measured as to their relationship to diseases and specificity for suspected pathogens associated with progressing disease sites. Recently, studies on the bacterial immunogen characterization, antibody-subclass identification, and antibody biological capabilities have been reported. Although increased antibody levels to certain suspected periodontal pathogens were associated with periodontal diseases in humans, little evidence exists as to the role of these antibodies in the infectious process. In vivo experiments in animals indicated that specific antibodies against certain suspected periodontal pathogens were associated with suppression of bacterial colonization, limiting the spread of infection, and a decrease in alveolar bone loss. However, in vitro as well as in vivo experiments suggested that phagocytic cells are required for efficient bactericidal activity of antibodies and that the presence of other sensitized immune cells may either have inhibited or enhanced the infectivity of certain periodontal pathogens. Possible explanations for the observed inconsistencies are presented and the potential for utilization of specific anti-periodontal pathogen responses in the understanding and prevention of diseases is discussed.