Abstract

BURGOS, Angélica et al. Linfocito T  y su papel en la enfermedad periodontal: Revisión de la literatura . Acta odontol. venez [online]. 2008, vol.46, n.2, pp.227-233. ISSN 0001-6365.

In general is accepted that the innate or adaptive immunity affect the local immune response including the periodontium and in the progression of the disease is critical determinate the nature of the inflammatory response produced by the subgingival bacterial challenge. There are controversies in the literature about the role of T lymphocytes in the periodontal disease, the nature and regulation of these cells can be associated to protective o destructive conditions, but today is not clear the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory events where the cellular immune response by T cells can be absent o deficient during the course of periodontal infection. In fact the opinions about this subject are divided: some of these indicate that the main function of this cells is to protect the host against the periodontal bacteria while another had demonstrated that them participate in the beginning and progression of periodontal disease, for this reason this reviews pretend to discuss their participation in the pathogenesis of this pathology and to know the protective and destructive mechanisms relate with the destruction of periodontal tissue, this is important because they let us to understand new ways for the treatment of this disease.

Keywords : T Lymphocytes; periodontal disease; pathogenesis; TCR; Th cells (helper); Ts cells (suppressors).