Salivary IgA in response to periodontal treatment

There is evidence that the quantity of antigen load is crucial for the activation of IgA immune responses. In order to investigate the relevance of these findings in aggressive periodontitis, salivary antibody responses were measured during non‐surgical and antibiotic treatment. Twenty‐one patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis were monitored for total salivary IgA and IgA reactive to Porphyromonas gingivalis in resting and stimulated whole saliva. Non‐surgical treatment included full‐mouth professional tooth cleaning and subgingival scaling and root planing (SRP) under local anesthesia. Patients were recalled at 3 months and 6 months following systemic antibiotic treatment. Non‐parametric statistics showed significant improvements in the clinical parameters in all patients. Between baseline and 4 wk following SRP, median concentrations of total IgA decreased both in resting (−46%) and in stimulated (−33%) saliva. The P. gingivalis‐specific IgA activity showed a twofold increase at 4 wk after SRP. In addition to these changes, periodontal treatment of aggressive periodontitis did not appear to affect salivary IgA, and there were no significant correlations of IgA to the clinical parameters. In conclusion, salivary IgA responses during periodontal treatment were not found to have a diagnostic or prognostic significance.