Association between Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Periodontal Bacteria: A Clinical Pilot Study
Concetta Cafiero,
Cristina Grippaudo,
Marco Dell’Aquila,
Pasquale Cimmino,
Antonio D’Addona,
Paolo De Angelis,
Maria Pia Ottaiano,
Domenico Costagliola,
Giulio Benincasa,
Alessandra Micera,
Luigi Santacroce,
Raffaele Palmirotta
Affiliations
Concetta Cafiero
Pathology Unit, Fabrizio Spaziani Hospital, 03100 Frosinone, Italy
Cristina Grippaudo
Department of Head and Neck, Division of Oral Surgery and Implantology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Marco Dell’Aquila
Section of Anatomic Pathology, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy
Pasquale Cimmino
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Federico II University, 80100 Naples, Italy
Antonio D’Addona
Department of Head and Neck, Division of Oral Surgery and Implantology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Paolo De Angelis
Department of Head and Neck, Division of Oral Surgery and Implantology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Pia Ottaiano
Department of Clinical Pathology and Molecular Biology, Pineta Grande Hospital, 81030 Castel Volturno, Italy
Domenico Costagliola
Department of Clinical Pathology and Molecular Biology, Pineta Grande Hospital, 81030 Castel Volturno, Italy
Giulio Benincasa
Department of Clinical Pathology and Molecular Biology, Pineta Grande Hospital, 81030 Castel Volturno, Italy
Alessandra Micera
Research Laboratories in Ophthalmology, IRCCS—Fondazione Bietti, 00184 Rome, Italy
Luigi Santacroce
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy
Raffaele Palmirotta
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy
Background: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by microorganisms involving the supporting tissues of the teeth. Gene variants may influence both the composition of the biofilm in the oral cavity and the host response. The objective of the study was to investigate the potential correlations between the disease susceptibility, the presence and the quantity of periodontopathogenic oral bacterial composition and the VDR gene polymorphisms. Methods: Fifty (50) unrelated periodontal patients and forty-one (41) healthy controls were selected for genomic DNA extraction. DNA concentration was measured and analyzed. The periodontopathogenic bacterial species were identified and quantified using a Real Time PCR performed with species-specific primers and probes. Results: Genotype distribution showed a different distribution between the groups for BsmI rs1544410 genotypes (p = 0.0001) with a prevalence of the G(b) allele in periodontal patients (p = 0.0003). Statistical significance was also found for VDR TaqI rs731236 (p ≤ 0.00001) with a prevalence of the T(T) allele in periodontal patients (p ≤ 0.00001). The average bacterial copy count for the periodontitis group was significantly higher than that of control group. Dividing patients into two groups based on high or low bacterial load, FokI rs2228570 T allele (f) was statistically more represented in patients with high bacterial load. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggest the involvement of the VDR gene BsmI and TaqI polymorphisms in periodontal disease, while FokI and BsmI may be involved in determining an increased presence of periodontopathogens.
