Salivary interleukin-1β concentration and the presence of multiple pathogens in periodontitis

P>Aim This study aimed to find salivary enzymes and/or cytokines that would reflect periodontitis, alone or in combination with salivary microbial markers. Material and Methods The salivary concentrations of elastase, lactate dehydrogenase, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and the presence of five periodontal pathogens, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola, were analysed from salivary specimens of 165 subjects, a subpopulation of Health 2000 Health Examination Survey in Finland; 84 of the subjects had probing pocket depth (PPD) of >= 4 mm at 14 or more teeth (the advanced periodontitis group), while 81 subjects had no teeth with PPD of >= 4 mm (the control group). All subjects had at least 20 teeth and no systemic diseases. Results Among the salivary cytokines and enzymes tested, IL-1 beta was the only biomarker associated with periodontitis. An association was also found with the presence of multiple periodontal pathogens. Salivary IL-1 beta and the presence of multiple periodontal pathogens were associated with periodontitis at the same magnitude, when they were in the logistic regression model individually or together. Conclusion We suggest that salivary IL-1 beta and the presence of multiple periodontal pathogens in saliva should be studied more thoroughly as markers of periodontitis.