Salivary Metabolomics: A Pilot Study for Screening Biomarkers in Mild-to-moderate Periodontitis

Background/Aim: This study aims to identify salivary metabolites that can discriminate patients with mild and moderate periodontitis from healthy controls through comprehensive metabolomic analyses using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS). Patients and Methods: Forty healthy controls, 40 patients with mild periodontitis, and 40 patients with moderate periodontitis were enrolled. Whole unstimulated saliva samples were collected from the participants, and CE-MS was used to comprehensively analyze salivary metabolites. Furthermore, a multiple logistic regression (MLR) model was developed using multiple candidate metabolites, and the combinations of metabolites with the highest area under the curve (AUC) were identified. Results: The concentrations of 34 metabolites significantly differed between the mild/moderate periodontitis group and healthy controls. Of these, three were used to develop the MLR model: O-acetylcarnitine, tyrosine, and histidine. The AUC value based on the combination of these three metabolites was 0.867 (sensitivity: 0.73, specificity: 0.90, 95% confidence interval=0.804-0.929, p<0.001) for discriminating between patients with mild and moderate periodontitis and healthy controls. Conclusion: Salivary metabolites, including O-acetylcarnitine, tyrosine, and histidine, may serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers for mild-to-moderate periodontitis.