17 January 2025

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Penn Dental Medicine Study Shows Saliva Test May Help Mark Gum Disease Progression

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Measuring levels of key proteins in patients’ saliva may be a relatively easy way for dentists—and even patients themselves—to track the progression of gum disease (periodontitis), suggests a new study led by Penn Dental Medicine researchers.

In the study, the researchers monitored and tested saliva samples from more than 400 patients for up to a year and a half. They found that, on average, patients with moderate to severe progression of periodontitis showed substantial increases in nine inflammation-related signaling proteins in saliva.

The study appears in the December Journal of Clinical Periodontology, a 50th-anniversary edition that showcases particularly high-quality research.

“One can imagine a saliva test kit, based on such findings, that dentists could use—and even periodontitis patients could use at home. It could be a very useful personalized-dentistry tool for assessing risk and tailoring care,” says study lead author Flavia Teles, DDS, MS, DMSc, associate professor in the department of basic & translational sciences at Penn Dental Medicine.

Between 20% and 50% of the global population has some level of periodontitis, including about 64 million people in the U.S. If untreated, this chronic bacterial infection and inflammation of the gums often lead to the loss of the bone that anchors teeth, which can cause tooth loss.

This study enrolled 302 individuals with early to moderate/severe periodontitis and 113 individuals without periodontitis. Subjects’ periodontitis status and progression were assessed every two months for a year. They also had saliva and blood samples taken. The saliva samples were tested for 10 inflammation-linked proteins, and the blood samples for five. After a year, researchers gave periodontitis subjects standard non-surgical periodontal therapy and checked them again three and six months later.

The results showed that periodontitis patients who had the most disease progression during the year had significantly higher levels of several inflammation-related signaling proteins in their saliva. These included interferon-gamma, IL-6, VEGF, IL-1β, and MMP-8. Following treatment, these levels subsided.

The levels of such proteins in subjects’ blood did not differ significantly by the degree of disease progression, although MMP-8, MMP-9, and C-reactive protein did fall significantly following treatment.

The findings suggest that changes in levels of inflammation-related proteins in saliva over time can help assess the risk of periodontitis progression as well as treatment effectiveness—and that blood levels also may be helpful in the latter case.

Source: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/