Neutrophil Subsets in Periodontal Health and Disease: A Mini Review
Open accessAbstract
Neutrophils are amongst the most abundant immune cells within the periodontal tissues and oral cavity. As innate immune cells, they are first line defenders at the tooth-mucosa interface, and can perform an array of different functions. With regard to these, it has been observed over many years that neutrophils are highly heterogeneous in their behavior. Therefore, it has been speculated that neutrophils, similarly to other leukocytes, exist in distinct subsets. Several studies have investigated different markers of neutrophils in oral health and disease in recent years in order to define potential cell subsets and their specific tasks. This research was inspired by recent advancements in other fields of medicine in this field. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the current evidence regarding the existence and presence of neutrophil subsets and their possible functions, specifically in the context of periodontitis, gingivitis, and periodontal health.
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oPMN are the primary mediators of oral immunity.
“oPMN are the primary mediators of oral immunity, and various oPMN subsets exist, differentiated by surface marker expression, in health and disease. 12 , 21”
From Prognostic utility of oral neutrophil counts in high-risk periodontitis: A retrospective study (2025) · cites this paper as [21]
The Introduction (page unavailable) describes oral neutrophils as abundant in the oral cavity and explains how they contribute to homeostasis and defense. It does not establish that they are the primary mediators of oral immunity relative to other immune cells or mechanisms. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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The role of the host—Neutrophil biology
Chapple, I. L. C., Hirschfeld, J., Kantarci, A., Wilensky, A., & Shapira, L. (2023) · Periodontology 2000 · doi:10.1111/prd.12490 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
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Prognostic utility of oral neutrophil counts in high-risk periodontitis: A retrospective study
Prete, B. R. J., Barbour, A., Sun, C., Tenenbaum, H. C., Goldberg, M. B., & Glogauer, M. (2025) · Journal of Periodontology · doi:10.1002/jper.11360 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“12,21 33 Furthermore, obtaining clinical data requires a comprehensive periodontal exam which can be uncomfortable for patients and, although less important from the perspective of disease, is a time-consuming procedure for clinicians.”
- Authors
- Hirschfeld, J.
- Affiliations
- Birmingham Dental Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hirschfeld, Josefine
- ORCID
- Hirschfeld, Josefine
- Venue
- Frontiers in Immunology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2020-01-08
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- 3001-3001
- ISSN
- 1664-3224 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6961529
- OpenAlex
- W2999629024
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 1.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Immunology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (CL-2015-09-006)
- Academy of Medical Sciences
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Neutrophil, Myeloperoxidase and Oxidative Mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Periodontal Regeneration and Treatments
- Keywords
- neutrophil subsets, neutrophil heterogeneity, periodontitis, gingivitis, periodontal health, innate immunity
- MeSH terms
- Cell Plasticity, Animals, Disease Susceptibility, Homeostasis, Humans, Leukocytes, Neutrophils, Periodontitis, Periodontium
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