Herpesviruses and periodontal disease: a cautionary tale

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of bacterial origin, characterized by an inconstant progression of lesions affecting the tooth supporting tissues. In spite of more than half a century of research efforts, the clinician still lacks any specific molecular or microbial diagnostic tool to predict the progression of periodontal lesions. Recently, several reports have proposed a role for some herpesviruses in the etiology of destructive phases of periodontitis. This paper critically analyzes these data in the light of consolidated knowledge that was developed in the characterization of virus-bacteria cooperative interactions, and proposes new topics of investigation to clarify the role of herpesviral infections in periodontitis and their potential predictive role as markers of progression.