effect of tnf-α blockade in gingival crevicular fluid on periodontal condition of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

background: periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis (ra) share a number of clinical and pathologic features, one of which is the presence of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-α)-induced bone resorption that is involved in the pathogenesis of both. objectives: to investigate the effect of tnf-α blockade on periodontal conditions in patients with active ra. method: the periodontal statuses of 36 patients (26 females, 10 males) diagnosed with active ra were evaluated both before and after anti-tnf-α therapy. gingival index, bleeding on probing (bop), probing pocket depth (ppd), oral hygiene index (ohi), and levels of tnf-α in gingival crevicular fluid (gcf) were measured at the baseline and 6 weeks after the treatment. wilcoxon signed ranked test was used for statistical analyses. results: based on ohi (p=0.860), the level of plaque control did not change during the study period, but there was a significant reduction in gingival inflammation based on the mean bop (p=0.049) and gi (p=0.036) before and after 6 weeks of anti-tnf-α therapy. the mean ppd index did not significantly differ at the baseline and 6 weeks after treatment (p=0.126). conclusion: anti-tnf-α therapy might have a desirable effect on periodontal conditions and might reduce tnf-α level in gcf of patients with ra.