Abstract

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease associated with bacterial infections. In severe cases is accompanied by the loss of alveolar bone with eventual exfoliation of the teeth [1]. Although bacteria are essential to the induction of the disease, individual susceptibility to periodontitis seems to be of major importance in determining the manifestation and progression of the disease [2]. Bacterial pathogens involved in periodontal diseases exert a part of their destructive effect by triggering and inducing host cells to elevate their secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs comprise a structurally and functionally related family of proteolytic enzymes, which play an essential role in tissue remodelling and repair associated with development and inflammation [3]. Studies have focused on the role of MMPs in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases [4-6].