Аннотация:Summary The microbial plaque biofilm resides adjacent to the tissue‐destructive inflammatory infiltrate in periodontitis. Although not sufficient, this biofilm is necessary for this inflammatory response. Patients with periodontitis generate antibodies specific for bacteria in the biofilm – although the role of these antibodies is not clear, there is, undoubtedly, an adaptive immune response in periodontitis. T lymphocytes are central to adaptive immunity, and provide help for B cells to generate specific antibodies. T‐cell receptor recognition of peptide antigen in the context of major histocompatibility complex can result in T‐cell activation. The activation and differentiation of the T‐cell can take many forms, and hence numerous types of T cells have been described. The role of adaptive immune responses, and the T‐cell component thereof, in periodontitis remains relatively poorly defined. This review aims to broadly summarize findings about T cells and their role in periodontitis, focusing primarily on studies of human disease with a short discussion of some animal studies.
