Association among serum and salivary A. actinomycetemcomitans specific immunoglobulin antibodies and periodontitis

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum and salivary Immunoglobulin (Ig) Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) specific antibodies in healthy controls (HC) and periodontitis (PT) patients. Furthermore, the objectives were to determine whether PT influenced serum A. actinomycetemcomitans specific antibodies and whether serum or salivary antibodies against A. actinomycetemcomitans IgG were mediated by serum high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Methods Fifty-three patients with periodontitis and 48 HC were enrolled in the present study. Patients were regularly examined and characterized by clinical, salivary and blood samples analyses. A. actinomycetemcomitans IgA and IgG antibodies and hs-CRP were evaluated using a commercially available kit. The Spearman Correlation Test and Jonckheere-Terpstra Test were applied in order to assess the interdependence between serum A. actinomycetemcomitans IgG antibodies and clinical periodontal parameters. To evaluate the dependence of the serum and salivary A. actinomycetemcomitans IgG levels from possible confounders, univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. Results Compared to HC, patients with PT had significantly higher IgA [serum: PT, 1.89 (1.2–2.2) EU vs HC, 1.37 (0.9–1.8) EU (p = 0.022); saliva: PT, 1.67 (1.4–2.1) EU vs HC, 1.42 (0.9–1.6) EU (p = 0.019)] and A. actinomycetemcomitans IgG levels [serum: PT, 2.96 (2.1–3.7) EU vs HC, 2.18 (1.8–2.1) EU (p