PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody to Tanerella forsythia are associated with periodontal status. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis were considered candidates for the study; thus 80 chronic periodontitis patients and 28 healthy persons (control group) were invited to participate in this investigation. The presence of T. forsythia was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis using primers designed to target the respective 16S rRNA gene sequences. Peripheral blood was collected from each subject to identify the IgG1 and IgG2 serum antibodies against T. forsythia. All microbiological and immunological laboratory processes were completed blindly, without awareness of the clinical status of the study patients or of the periodontal sites tested. RESULTS: The bivariate analysis showed that lower mean levels of clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing depth were found in the presence of the IgG1 antibody titers against whole-cell T. forsythia; however, only the difference in CAL was statistically significant. In the presence of the IgG2 antibody titers against whole-cell T. forsythia, the periodontal parameters evaluated were higher but they did not show statistical differences, except for plaque. The unadjusted linear regression model showed that the IgG1 antibody against whole-cell T. forsythia in periodontitis patients was associated with a lower mean CAL (beta=-0.654; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.27 to -0.28; P<0.05). This statistically significant association remained after adjusting for possible confounders (beta=-0.655; 95% CI, -1.28 to -0.29; P<0.05). On the other hand, smoking was a statistically significant risk factor in the model (beta=0.704; 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.38; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Significantly lower mean levels of CAL were shown in the presence of the IgG1 antibody titers against whole-cell T. forsythia in periodontitis patients. Thus, the results of this study suggest that IgG1 antibody to T. forsythia may have been a protective factor from periodontitis in this sample.
Antibodies ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Diagnosis ; Forsythia* ; Genes, rRNA ; Hand ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins* ; Linear Models ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontitis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking