Gingival Crevicular Fluid, Matrix Metalloproteinases, and Their Bioactive Regulators as Potential Adjunctive Chair-Side Point-of-Care Biomarkers in Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Variations in levels of different bioactive compounds, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), can be detected in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement. These changes are a reflection of the metabolic state of the deeper tissues of the periodontium. GCF assays provide a noninvasive site-specific method of assessing the local tissue reaction to an orthodontic force. In periodontal research, assaying MMPs and their regulators from the GCF is already being used to monitor the state of periodontal health. Similar chair-side/point-of-care tool kits are now being developed that would monitor the tissue reaction to orthodontic tooth movement by assaying MMPs, in particularly MMP-8. In this review, the scientific basis of these developments and the potential research and clinical applications of such assays are discussed.