ABSTRACT
The term periodontal disease includes two major categories: gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis describes an inflammatory condition restricted to the gingiva, while periodontitis involves the tooth-supporting tissues beneath the gingiva. There is now abundant evidence, from epidemiological studies and experimental studies in humans and animals, that the inflammatory changes are provoked by microorganisms in plaque. An obvious way in which to assess the role of prostaglandins (PGs) in periodontal disease is by measuring the effects of PG synthesis inhibitors, and this has been the object of several studies in humans and experimental animals. Osteomyelitis, the response of bone to bacterial infection, is very much the poor relation of bone resorption research. Although the clinical aspects, notably the response to various antibiotic therapies, have received much attention over the years, investigations of the mechanisms involved in the bone destruction which characterizes the chronic disease are sparse.
