Salivary Immunoglobulin A, Caries And Periodontal Disease In Adolescents

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) has been suggested to protect against caries and periodontal inflammatory diseases (PID); however, the evidence for adolescents is still contradictory; therefore, we studied associations between IgA, caries and PID among adolescents. In total, 390 Russian adolescents aged 15-17 participated in a cross-sectional study. The DMFT index was used for caries experience, while the CPI index was used for periodontal tissues. The number of sextants with bleeding and calculus were calculated. IgA levels were measured using ELISA, and their association with DMFT and the number of affected sextants were analyzed via Poisson models. Prevalence ratios (PR) were computed adjusted for sex, age, and region. IgA was positively associated with D (p-for-trend <0.001) and M (p-for-trend =0.008) components of the DMFT index. The fourth quartile of the IgA distribution was associated with more carious (PR=1.83, 95%CI:1.46-2.29) and more missing (PR=4.45, 95%CI:1.68-11.74) teeth. Number of sextants with bleeding was also associated with IgA concentration (p-for-trend=0.012). No associations between IgA and either calculus of the number of filled teeth were observed. We found a significant dose-response association between IgA levels and the number of carious and missing teeth as well as the number of sextants with bleeding warranting more research IgA's role in oral pathologies. The mechanisms behind the observed associations will be discussed.