Gingival crevicular fluid and serum levels of APRIL, BAFF and TNF-alpha in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis patients with periodontal disease

Despite long-term usage of anti-inflammatory drugs in the RA and OPR patients, increased TNF-family cytokines, might suggest that these patients have a propensity to overproduce these inflammatory mediators but whether this results from greater disease activity or contribute to greater disease activity remains moot.