Introduction and objective:
Oral diseases affect about 3.5 billion people worldwide, with periodontitis being a major concern due to its potential to cause tooth loss. The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), which infects most of the global population, is linked to several cancers and may contribute to periodontal disease. Growing evidence suggests a significant role of the EBV in the etiopathogenesis of periodontitis. The aim of the study was to assess the EBV load in saliva and crevice-gingival fluid (CGF) in patients with periodontitis. The study also took into account the clinical stage of periodontitis and the OHI.

Material and methods:
The study included a total of 60 patients (36 women and 24 men) treated for periodontitis at the Dental Centre in Lublin. The research used crevice-gingival fluid (CGF), saliva and sera. EBV DNA was detected by PCR in the CGF and saliva, and anti-EBV antibodies were detected in the serum (ELISA test).

Results:
EBV DNA was detected in 39.5% of patients vs. 16.7% in healthy people. Both anti-EBNA and anti-EBVCA antibodies level was statistically significantly higher among patients with periodontitis compared to the control group. The obtained results encourage further in-depth research in this area.

Conclusions:
In more advanced stages of periodontitis, higher levels of viral load and higher levels of anti-EBV antibodies were observed. Moreover, the higher the level of antibodies in the serum, the higher the level of EBV viremia was detected. Saliva is a good clinical diagnostic material for EBV in oral diseases.