Clinical periodontal status and inflammatory cytokines in gestational diabetes mellitus

•We hypothesized that maternal gingival inflammation could induce a systemic inflammatory response causing insulin resistance.•We examine changes in the level of GCF IL-10 concentrations in the GDM women.•Clinical periodontal parameters seems to be more pronounced in women with GDM.•The present finding of higher serum TNF-α levels in the non-GDM group is rather unexpected.

ObjectivesThe aim of the present cross-sectional study was to compare clinical periodontal findings as well as gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and IL-33 between women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).MethodsSerum and GCF samples were collected, full-mouth recordings comprising plaque index, bleeding on probing and probing depth were performed in 96 females with GDM (cases) and 65 non-diabetic pregnant females (controls). Age, smoking status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, pregnancy outcomes were recorded. Serum and GCF IL-10, IL-33, TNF-α levels were determined.ResultsThe GDM group was significantly older than the control group with an age difference of 3.27 years (mean ages were 32.05 and 28.78 years, respectively) (p < 0.0001). Plaque Index (50.0 and 30.0 p = 0.005), bleeding on probing (50.0 and 30.0 p = 0.003) values were significantly higher in the GDM group. Serum TNF-α concentrations were significantly higher in the nonGDM group than the GDM group (p = 0.001). GCF IL-10 concentrations and total amounts were significantly higher in the GDM group than the controls (p = 0.004 and p < 0.0001, respectively).ConclusionElevated GCF IL-10 levels may be a consequence of higher levels of inflammation as indicated by higher PI and BOP in the GDM group. However, the investigated clinical parameters may not have prominent effects on TNF-α and IL-33 levels. These findings provide further support for the importance of periodontal health during pregnancy.