Programmed Cell Death Tunes Periodontitis

ABSTRACT Objective To review current knowledge of the various processes of programmed cell death and their roles in immunoregulation in periodontitis. Methods Relevant literature in the PubMed, Medline, and Scopus databases was searched, and a narrative review was performed. Programmed cell death and the regulation of its various pathways implicated in periodontal infection were reviewed. Results Multicellular organisms dispose of unnecessary or damaged cells via programmed cell death. Programmed cell death lies at the core of the balance of cell death and survival in pathological progress and infection. Periodontitis is a complex infectious disease involving virulence factors of periodontal pathogens and tightly regulated immune responses of the host. Different types of programmed cell death can play opposite roles in periodontitis or exert their action combinatorially. Conclusion The coordinated system of various programmed cell death pathways and the extensive crosstalk among them play a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of periodontitis. Illuminating the precise roles and mechanisms of programmed cell death in periodontitis could open up novel therapeutic approaches.