Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the correlation between serum vitamin D levels and intraosseous levels of OPG (Osteoprotegerin) / RANKL (kappa nuclear factor activator receptor (NF-kB) ligand). Methods: Eight research participants selected at the Post-graduation in Implant Dentistry at Universidade Federal Fluminense were included in this pilot study, and divided into 2 groups: 1) control group (adequate serum vitamin D level; n = 5) and 2) test group (insufficient serum vitamin D; n = 3). Intraosseous blood samples were collected in the surgical socket at the time of implant placement, and processed to total RNA isolation by using the Trizol® reagent. A reverse transcriptase reaction was performed to synthesize complementary DNA (cDNA) using 300 ng of RNA. The expression of the OPG and RANKL genes was evaluated by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), using the SYBR Green Master Mix detection system. Results: There were no statistical differences between groups in relation to the analysis of gene expression of OPG / RANKL (p = 0.78), OPG (p = 0.5) and RANKL (p = 0.5). Conclusion: The results of this study did not show changes between serum vitamin D levels and bone remodeling biomarkers.