Investigation of the Effects of Amalgam Fillings and Stainless-Steel Crowns on the GCF IL-1 β and TNF-α Level

Abstract

Background In chronic inflammation caused by dental amalgam fillings and Stainless-Steel Crowns (SSC), host cells produce cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-1 (IL-1). In line with these findings, the present study evaluated the effects of dental amalgam fillings and SSC on the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α cytokines in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of children. Methods A clinical-biochemical study targeted 34 children aged 6 to 9 who were candidates for two-surface amalgam filling or SSC. The participants were split into two groups following careful oral and dental examinations. First, GCF samples were taken before treatment and at 7 and 21 days post-treatment utilizing paper points. The cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α levels in the GCF samples were subsequently measured through commercially available ELISA kits. Results The TNF-α levels significantly decreased after one week in the SSC group compared to those in the dental amalgam group (p = 0.017). During the same period, the level of IL-1β increased in both the "amalgam filling" (p = 0.029) and "SSC" (p = 0.046) groups. Ultimately, the levels of the cytokines IL-1β (p = 0.006) and TNF-α (p = 0.029) were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions IL-1β and TNF-α cytokines can be biomarkers for evaluating inflammation induced by dental amalgam fillings and SSCs in children. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups after three weeks, and the children in both groups performed almost identically.