The study measured a natural protein called LL‑37 in gum fluid and found that its level goes up when gums are inflamed (gingivitis), but the amount doesn’t change between young and middle‑aged people. Age itself doesn’t affect LL‑37 levels.

LL-37 is an antimicrobial peptide which plays an important role in the innate immunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the LL-37 levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of middle-aged and young adults who have either gingivitis or healthy periodontal tissues. Forty middle-aged adults (20 healthy controls and 20 with gingivitis) and 41 younger adults (20 healthy controls and 21 with gingivitis) were included in the present study. Probing depth, clinical attachment level, plaque index, and papilla bleeding index were recorded. LL-37 levels in the GCF were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No significant differences were observed in the GCF LL-37 levels between young healthy and middle-aged healthy subjects. Also, there were no significant differences in GCF LL-37 levels between young and middle-aged gingivitis subjects. However, gingivitis groups had significantly higher GCF LL-37 levels than healthy groups (p<0.001). Correlation analysis demonstrated no significant correlation between age and GCF LL-37 levels neither in healthy nor in gingivitis groups. The levels of LL-37 in GCF increase in the presence of gingival inflammation, however, this does not vary according to subjects being young or middle-aged.