It is well accepted that the destruction characteristic of periodontal diseases is a result of an imbalance between the host inflammatory process and specific pathogenic bacteria residing in the periodontal crevicular space. The protective nature of the host response enables the majority of the population to fend off the bacterial insult that constantly threatens the health of the supporting tissues of the dentition. One of the major players on this inflammatory and immunologic battleground is the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) or Neutrophil. The relationship of neutrophils to the...