title: Determinants of serum IgG responses to periodontal bacteria in a nationally representative sample of US adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the distribution of elevated antibody titres to multiple periodontal bacteria, including established/putative pathogens and health-related species, by selected demographic, behavioural, and oral- and general health-related characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 8153 >or=40-year-old participants from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used, including 1588 edentulous individuals. We used checkerboard immunoblotting to assess serum IgG levels to 19 periodontal species. Thresholds for elevated antibody responses were defined for each species using the 90th percentile titre in periodontal healthy participants, using two alternative definitions of periodontitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Edentulous individuals showed lower antibody responses than dentate participants, notably for titres to "red complex" species and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Elevated titres to Porphyromonas gingivalis were twice as prevalent in participants with periodontitis than in periodontal healthy individuals. Non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican-Americans were more likely to display elevated titres for P. gingivalis compared with non-Hispanic whites (22.9%versus 19.4%versus 9.5%). Current smokers were significantly less likely to exhibit high titres to multiple bacteria than never smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Demographic, behavioural, and oral- and general health-related characteristics were strong determinants of systemic antibody responses to periodontal bacteria in a nationally representative sample of US adults.
authors.affiliation: Division of Periodontics, Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vlachojannis
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dye
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera-Abreu
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pikdöken
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lerche-Sehm
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pretzl
authors.forename: Romanita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Celenti
authors.forename: Panos N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Papapanou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000276:immunology; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology*; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000382:microbiology*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology; D012907:Smoking; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G