Validity of a combination of periodontal pathogens and salivary biomarkers as predictors of periodontitis

Objective Chronic periodontitis is caused by multiple risk factors. To predict chronic periodontitis in older people, we evaluated the association between a combination of major periodontal pathogens and salivary biomarkers and the presence of periodontitis. Methods Stimulated saliva samples were collected to analyze the prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, and Prevotella intermedia, as well as four biomarkers: interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). A total of 201 Japanese patients were recruited. Oral examinations ware performed to determine chronic periodontitis as measured by Community Periodontal Index. The sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics were also obtained, and the parameters were adjusted as potential confounders to employ statistical models. Results The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of P. gingivalis and the third tertile level of IL‐1β as compared with the absence of P. gingivalis and the lowest tertile of IL‐1β was highest in individuals with periodontitis (OR = 13.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.87–50.52) with the best level (0.79) of area under the curve (AUC) based on the receiver operating characteristic curve. The OR for the presence of P. gingivalis and the third tertile of PGE2 was 7.76 (CI 1.89–31.91) with an AUC of 0.78. The coexistence of more than two periodontal bacteria and the third tertile of PGE2 was also strongly associated with chronic periodontitis (OR = 9.23, 95% CI 2.38–35.79) with an AUC of 0.76. Conclusions The combined information of the presence of P. gingivalis in stimulated saliva, and higher levels of salivary IL‐1β may play a vital role in the detection and prediction of chronic periodontitis in older adults.