## 3 Results  
### Clinical Indicators for Plaque-Induced Gingivitis  
All the examined clinical indicators were characterized by considerably higher values in the groups with gingivitis, compared to the control group (\(p\) < 0.05) (Table 1). The control group was represented by 4 girls and 2 boys. Two of the children had stable primary dentition. In four subjects, a state of mixed dentition was recorded. The mean age of the representatives in the group equaled 7 years and 5 months. The group with a mild degree of gingivitis was represented by 5 girls and 7 boys. Two of the children had stable primary dentition. In ten subjects, a state of mixed dentition was recorded. The mean age of the representatives in the group equaled 7 years and 6 months. The group with a moderate degree of gingivitis was represented by 11 girls and 8 boys. There were no children with stable primary dentition. In thirteen subjects, a state of mixed dentition was recorded. Five children had permanent dentition. The mean age of the representatives in the group equaled 7 years and 8 months. The group with a severe degree of gingivitis was represented by 6 girls and 2 boys. There was one child with stable primary dentition. In seven subjects, a state of mixed dentition was recorded. The mean age of the representatives in the group equaled 8 years and 4 months. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Clinical Indicators**} & **Control Group** & **Mild-Degree** & **Moderate-Degree** & **Severe-Degree** & \(p\)**Value** \\  & **n = 6** & **n = 12** & **n = 18** & **n = 8** & \(t\)**-Test** \\ \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{PLI} & 0.74 \(\pm\) 0.25 & 1.2 \(\pm\) 0.12 & 1.64 \(\pm\) 0.29 & 1.98 \(\pm\) 0.21 & \(p\) < 0.05 \\ \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{GI} & \multirow{2}{*}{0 \(\pm\) 0} & 0.75 \(\pm\) 0.24 & 1.38 \(\pm\) 0.17 & 2.19 \(\pm\) 0.09 & \(p\) < 0.05 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Clinical indicators of PIG. Salivary Levels of IL-6, IL-1\(\beta\), and CRP in Children with Different Degrees of Plaquette-Induced Gingivitis  
In the present study, we examined the concentrations of IL-6, IL-1\(\beta\), and CRP in unstimulated whole saliva from children with different degrees of PIG. The mean levels of IL-6, IL-1\(\beta\), and CRP were higher in children with gingivitis compared to those of children in the control group (ns). The highest mean concentrations of IL-6, IL-1\(\beta\), and CRP were recorded in the group with a severe degree of PIG, which were 14.96 pg/mL, 28.94 pg/mL, and 490.0 pg/mL, respectively. These values are considerably higher compared to those in the control group (9.506 pg/mL; 16.93 pg/mL; 254.4 pg/mL) (ns) (Figure 2). The mean concentration of IL-6 was elevated 1.57-fold, that of IL-1\(\beta\) was elevated 1.71-fold, and that of CRP was elevated 1.93-fold among the children with a severe degree of PIG compared to the control group. A statistically significant difference was established only between the groups with a moderate and severe degree of gingivitis for all three investigated markers (\(p<0.05\)) (Figure 2). We assume that the relatively small number of representatives did not allow the establishment of a statistical significance between the other groups. The levels of these pro-inflammatory biomarkers had the lowest mean values among the children with a moderate degree of gingivitis compared to those in the other groups and the controls (ns) (Figure 2). The statistically significant differences in the mean concentrations of IL-6 (\(p=0.0208\)), IL-1\(\beta\) (\(p=0.009\)), and CRP (\(p=0.0131\)) between the moderate and severe degrees of PIG are presented in Figure 2.  
Figure 2: Mean concentrations of (**a**) IL-6, (**b**) IL-1\(\beta\), and (**c**) CRP in the saliva of children with different degrees of PIG, the group with all of the children with plaque-induced gingivitis and healthy controls. Data expressed as mean \(\pm\) SD. Significance level established at \(p<0.05\).