The involvement of reactive oxygen species in periodontal disease is still not clear but it will possibly be modulated by antioxidants defense. There is some evidence of reduced antioxidant defense in periodontitis. The goal of this review is to determine local antioxidant capacity in gingival crevicular fluid as seen in periodontal disease and in health. A comprehensive literature search through January 2016 was performed using Ovid Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Library for all literature related to antioxidant markers in gingival crevicular fluid in health and disease in humans. Seventeen articles satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four antioxidants including, total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), melatonin, and lactoferrin, were significantly reduced in periodontitis when compared to healthy controls. In conclusion, our findings suggest that TAOC, SOD and melatonin are quantitatively higher in healthy gingiva than diseased and appear to reflect increased oxygen radical activity during periodontal inflammation. In contrast lactoferrin levels increase in periodontal disease GCF.