To compare the levels of plasma IL-1beta,TNFalpha in aggressive periodontitis (AgP) patients and periodontally healthy subjects. Venous blood samples were collected from 56 AgP patients and 39 periodontally healthy controls. Clinical examination consisted of bleeding index (BI), probing depth(PD)attachment loss measurements (AL) and percentage of severe sites. Plasma levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were determined using a high-sensitivity ELISA assay. The concentrations of IL-1beta in AgP patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (7.23 ng/L vs 3.52 ng/L, P=0.003), which were positively correlated with BI, PD, AL and the percentage of severe sites (r=0.170, P=0.038; r=0.175, P=0.033; r=0.168, P=0.040; r=0.236, P=0.004). The difference between the levels of TNF-alpha in AgP patients and healthy controls was not observed (1.07 ng/L vs 1.06 ng/L, P=0.437). No correlations between the plasma level of TNF-alpha and the periodontal parameters were detected (r=0.023, P=0.808; r=0.025, P=0.782