Salivary advanced glycated end products, their receptors, and aMMP‐8 in periodontitis patients with varying glycemic levels: A cross‐sectional study

Advanced glycation end products (AGE) and their receptors (RAGE) have been implicated in developing periodontal complications in diabetic patients. This study aimed to identify salivary AGE, RAGE, soluble RAGE (sRAGE), and aMMP-8 levels at varying glycemic levels in periodontitis patients. Ninety-eight participants were categorized into Group 1 (n = 27)-periodontitis patients with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); Group 2 (n = 33)-periodontitis patients with controlled T2DM; Group 3 (n = 18)-systemically healthy periodontitis patients; and Group 4 (n = 20)-systemically and periodontally healthy individuals. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for analyzing salivary AGE, RAGE, sRAGE, and aMMP-8. The study revealed that participants with uncontrolled T2DM and severe periodontitis exhibited significantly higher levels of salivary AGE, RAGE, and aMMP-8, along with increased periodontal parameters, compared to controlled T2DM and systemically healthy groups. Conversely, salivary sRAGE levels were significantly lower in the uncontrolled T2DM group. The study also found significant associations between salivary RAGE levels and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), as well as between aMMP-8, AGE, and clinical periodontal parameters. The findings of this study highlight the potential clinical utility of salivary biomarkers, particularly RAGE and aMMP-8, as noninvasive diagnostic and monitoring tools to evaluate glycemic control and periodontal health in individuals with diabetes.