Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a central role in the molecular pathogenesis of periodontal disease. However, the epigenetic regulation attributable to microbial and inflammatory signals at the biofilm gingival interface are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the DNA methylation alteration within the TNFA promoter in human gingival biopsies from different stages of periodontal disease, and explored the regulatory mechanism of TNFA transcription by DNA methylation
