Enhanced cellular immune response to type I collagen in patients with periodontal disease

Lymphoblastic responses to native denatured homologous type I collagen were significantly greater in 28 patients with chronic periodontal disease than in the control group of 28 subjects matched for age and sex. In the disease group, the lymphoblastic responses tended to increase with increasing severity of the disease and the responses in females, matched for age and severity of disease, were higher than in the males.