title: Periodontal pathogen carriage, rather than periodontitis, determines the serum antibody levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated in a nationally representative sample, how periodontitis modifies the association between the carriage of periodontal pathogens and serology.
  
  
  METHODS
  The population comprised 1586 dentate subjects who participated in an interview, clinical and radiological oral health examination, and saliva collection. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA)- and IgG-class antibody levels against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis and their salivary occurrence were determined in the whole population. The quantity of the pathogens was measured in a subpopulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the univariate analyses, the corresponding antibody levels were higher in the pathogen carriers compared with the non-carriers, and clearly higher in the carriers with periodontal pockets compared with the carriers without. In the multi-variate analyses, however, all antibody levels associated strongly with age (p<0.001) and the carriage of the corresponding pathogen (p<0.001), but only weakly with the presence or number of teeth with periodontal pockets. In the subpopulation, the antibody levels and the numbers of corresponding bacteria in saliva had a positive association, which was not affected by the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The carriage of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis is the strongest determinant of the systemic antibody response to these pathogens, and the extent of periodontitis has at most a modest modifying effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Institute of Dentistry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. pirkko.pussinen@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Pirkko J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pussinen
authors.forename: Eija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Könönen
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paju
authors.forename: Kati
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyvärinen
authors.forename: Ulvi Kahraman
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Gursoy
authors.forename: Sisko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huumonen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knuuttila
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Suominen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016976:Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D016966:Porphyromonas gingivalis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G