Abstract
Introduction: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and remains a major cause of tooth loss worldwide. Its pathogenesis involves complex interactions between microbial pathogens and host immune responses, where salivary immunoglobulins serve as a first line of defense at mucosal surfaces. Identifying pathogen-specific salivary antibody responses that correlate with disease severity may provide noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring. The present work sought to explore how selected microbial pathogens and salivary antibody responses are connected with the severity of periodontitis and clinical periodontal status.
Methods: A cross-sectional approach was applied. Saliva was obtained from 39 participants, including 31 patients diagnosed with periodontitis and 8 individuals with healthy periodontal tissues. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunoassays were used to detect both microorganisms and immunoglobulins.
Results: Patients classified as Stage IV periodontitis showed the highest occurrence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Elevated IgA antibodies against Fusobacterium nucleatum (P=0.014) and Candida albicans (P=0.009) demonstrated significant associations with disease severity. Further associations were observed: plaque index with IgG to C. albicans; oral hygiene index with IgA to A. actinomycetemcomitans (P=0.008) and C. albicans (P=0.031), and papillary bleeding index with IgA to A. actinomycetemcomitans (P=0.003), F. nucleatum (P=0.002), and C. albicans (P=0.008).
Conclusion: Salivary IgA and IgG responses to Fusobacterium nucleatum and Candida albicans exhibited significant stage-related associations with periodontitis severity, supporting their potential role as complementary immunological indicators.