Are viruses just the bystanders for Periodontal diseases?: A review

Periodontal disease is multifactorial in nature. To meet long lasting therapeutic end points in treatment of it, a solid understanding of the etiology of periodontitis is need of an hour. Current research has shifted its focus from periodontitis being polybacterial infection to involvement of various viruses in the etiopathogeny of destructive periodontal disease. Discovery of the high copy counts of Epstein–Barr virus and cytomegalovirus in aggressive and chronic periodontitis, it is unlikely that these pathogenic viruses are acting merely as innocuous bystanders in pathogenesis of the periodontal diseases. These viruses probably might not act as primary periodontopathic agents but they might cooperate the specific bacteria in periodontal disease progression. The periodontal research delving more into role of virus as a causative agent for periodontal diseases can open up a whole new era in therapeutic approaches and prove to be a paradigm shift. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the evidence supporting the viral hypothesis of periodontal eitopathogenesis.