Evaluation of DEFB1 polymorphisms in individuals with chronic periodontitis and diabetes mellitus type 2 in a population of northeastern Brazil

Aims The role of genetic variations in genes related to innate response, as β‐defensin‐1 (DEFB1), in the context of chronic periodontitis (CP) and diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), is still not clear. The present study evaluates the distribution of DEFB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 5′‐untranslated (5′UTR) region and its relation with the CP in DM2 individuals in northeastern Brazilians. Methods Two hundred and eighty individuals participated in the study, being 116 DM2+CP, 95 CP, and 69 healthy individuals. Three known DEFB1 functional SNPs [‐52 G > A (rs1799946), ‐44 C > G (rs1800972), ‐20 G > A (rs11362)] were genotyped with allele‐specific assays. Results Association was found for the DEFB1 ‐20 G > A SNP. The G allele, the GA and GG genotypes were significantly (P