Genetic Risk Assessment of Periodontal Disease during Dental Treatments

Periodontal diseases (PD) are extremely prevalent worldwide, affecting roughly half of the adult population. Any person who has a known susceptibility to periodontal disease and needs prosthetic or implant-prosthetic therapy (PIT) is recommended to undergo genetic testing to see if he/she is genetically predisposed to the development of periodontal disease, because such a patient is at increased risk of developing PD during or after the dental treatment. In other words, it seems beneficial to use a genetic test for identifying those most at risk of PD and to subject them to oral hygiene protocols. Several studies have investigated the association between some markers [such as interleukin (IL)-1, 4, 6, 10] polymorphisms and periodontitis susceptibility but with conflicting results. We recently reported that polymorphisms of IL6 and IL10 constitute risk factors for chronic periodontitis; therefore, genetic tests for these two factors are promising for constructing efficient preventive protocol during or after PIT.