[Arachidonic acid derivatives in periodontitis].

A myriad of mediators of inflammation are involved in the onset and progress of periodontal disease. The exact roles of some of them are understood nowadays. In this paper, the current knowledge on the products of the arachidonic acid cascade (i.e. prostaglandins and leukotrienes) is reviewed. The main interests of these mediators are in their potential in diagnosing the phases of activity of periodontitis and the therapeutic prospects that their inhibition open up.