Checkerboard assessments of serum antibodies to oral microbiota as surrogate markers of clinical periodontal status.
BACKGROUND
This study addresses whether checkerboard assessments of serum IgG antibodies to oral bacteria may serve as surrogate markers of clinical periodontal status in epidemiologic studies.


METHODS
The analysis involved data from 205 subjects, 132 periodontitis patients and 73 periodontally-intact controls, from whom full-mouth clinical periodontal data and serum IgG titers against 19 periodontal bacterial species were available.


RESULTS
A logistic regression model involving titers against 6 species (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Eubacterium nodatum, Eikenella corrodens, Capnocytophaga ochracea and Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 2) classified correctly 74.5% of the subjects examined, with 84% sensitivity, 57.5% specificity, 78% positive predictive value and 66.7% negative predictive value.


CONCLUSIONS
Checkerboard serology may be useful in providing surrogate markers for clinical periodontal status when such data are not readily available and, thus may serve as a valuable complement in the armamentarium of epidemiologic tools suited for the study of periodontal diseases.
Papapanou
P N
PN
Division of Periodontics, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, New York, NY 10032, USA. pp192@columbia.edu
Neiderud
A M
AM
Sandros
J
J
Dahlén
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G