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 researchers at Penn Dental Medicine.
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 who experienced progression of periodontitis showed substantially more elevated levels of nine inflammation-related signaling proteins in saliva when compared to those who did not. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
“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 delivery,” says study lead author Flavia Teles, an associate professor in the Department of Basic and Translational Sciences at Penn Dental Medicine.
The findings suggest that changes in levels of inflammation-related proteins in saliva over time can help patients and doctors assess the risk of periodontitis progression as well as the effectiveness of treatment—and that blood levels also may be helpful in the latter case.
Teles and her colleagues in follow-on research are analyzing, in samples from the same patients, bacterial species and related small molecules called metabolites, to see if these too can help in tracking periodontitis status.
Read more at Penn Dental Medicine.
