Aim of the study: To evaluate differences in the cellular expression of DNA damage/repair and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species between human periodontitis and peri-implantitis lesions.
Material and methods: 40 patients presenting with generalized severe periodontitis and 40 patients with severe peri-implantitis were included. Soft tissue biopsies were collected from diseased sites in conjunction with surgical therapy and prepared for histological analysis. Four regions of interest were identified: the pocket epithelium (PE), the infiltrated connective tissue (ICT), which was divided into one inner area facing the PE (ICT-1) and one outer area (ICT-2). A non-infiltrated connective tissue area (NCT) lateral of the ICT was also selected.
Results: It was demonstrated that the ICT of peri-implantitis specimens was considerably larger and contained significantly larger area proportions and densities of CD68-, MPO- and iNOS-positive cells than that of periodontitis samples. Cellular densities were overall higher in the inner ICT zone lateral of the PE (ICT-1) than in the outer ICT compartment (ICT-2). While the NCT area lateral of the ICT comprised significantly larger proportions and densities of y-H2AX-, iNOS-, NOX2-, MPO- and PAD4/MPO-positive cells in peri-implantitis than in periodontitis sites, a reverse difference was noted for the area proportion and density of 8-OHdG-positive cells in the PE.
Conclusions: It is suggested that peri-implantitis lesions are associated with an enhanced and upregulated host response and contain larger numbers of neutrophils, macrophages and iNOS-positive cells than periodontitis lesions.
Keywords: biopsy; cell density; histology; immunohistochemistry; inflammation; peri-implant disease; periodontal disease.
© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.