A

Bacterial collagenases produced by periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis cleave type I collagen in periodontal ligament fibres and are strongly linked to tissue destruction in periodontitis, whereas hyaluronidase and coagulase are not primary mediators of fibre breakdown [DeCarlo et al., 1998, PMID 9842506; Houle et al., 2003, PMID 12725924].