Role of Neutrophils in Periodontitis:A Review

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease caused by periodontopathic bacteria and influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. In a healthy oral environment, there is a balance between symbiotic bacteria and when this balance is breached, inflammation appears and more immune cells are recruited to the site of infection. Neutrophils are the professional antimicrobial phagocytes that form the first line of defense against bacterial invasion in periodontal disease and connect innate and adaptive arms of the immune response. Neutrophils efficiently control pathogens by oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent antimicrobial mechanisms and by neutrophil extracellular traps.Some studies indicate that excessive neutrophils are responsible for tissue damage and disease progression in periodontitis whereas other studies indicate that neutrophil deficiencies in patients also result in the periodontal condition.