Instead, as an activator of main collagen degrading enzymes of gingiva like MMP2 and MMP9, which are known to be up-regulated in periodontitis (Zeidán-Chuliá et al., 2013; Haage et al., 2014), MMP14 may be a potential marker of inflammatory processes at early phases of periodontal pathogenesis. This evidence concerns the gene MMP14 and periodontitis.