IgG antibody levels to Porphyromonas gingivalis and clinical measures in children.
BACKGROUND
Periodontopathic clinical markers are poorly understood in the pediatric population. Several studies have proposed Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and an antibody response to the microorganism as factors in periodontal tissue destruction in children. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of P. gingivalis in dental plaque and of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels to P. gingivalis, and their relationship to periodontal clinical measures in children.


METHODS
Thirty-one subjects, aged 20 to 163 months, participated in this study. Clinical measures examined included gingivitis, plaque, alveolar bone height, age, gender, ethnicity, medical status, caries, and IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis. Five ml of blood was collected for serum analysis, and IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plaque samples were examined for the presence of P. gingivalis by DNA-DNA checkerboard. Data were analyzed on a person-level basis for relationships to serum IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis and on a site-specific level for relationships to the presence of P. gingivalis in plaque.


RESULTS
A majority (77%) of the subjects were systemically healthy, non-white (74%), and did not have detectable P. gingivalis in their plaque. Fifty-two percent of the subjects had positive serum IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis. Based on univariate linear regression, factors related to IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis (P<0.05) included age, average gingival index (GI), average probing depth, and number of teeth with alveolar bone crest to cemento-enamel junction (ABC-CEJ) distances >2 mm. When all clinical measures were considered together, only age remained statistically significantly related to serum IgG antibody levels to P. gingivalis.


CONCLUSIONS
Age is one of the most important factors in the development of the immune response to putative microorganisms such as P. gingivalis in children. The role of IgG as a time-sensitive measure of periodontal health in children needs to be investigated further.
Donley
Cara L
CL
The Children's Hospital, Department of Dentistry, Boston, MA, USA. caradonley@mac.com
Badovinac
Rachel
R
Sapir
Shabtai
S
Shapira
Lior
L
Houri
Yael
Y
Kantarci
Alpdogan
A
Warbington
Martha L
ML
Dibart
Serge
S
Van Dyke
Thomas E
TE
Needleman
Howard L
HL
Karimbux
Nadeem
N
Bimstein
Enrique
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000145:classification; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010512:Periodontal Index; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology*; D012737:Sex Factors
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G