Salivary IL‐1β and PGE2 as biomarkers of periodontal status, before and after periodontal treatment

Aim Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) are key inflammatory mediators involved in periodontitis. The purpose was to compare their salivary concentrations in relation to periodontal status and their changes after periodontal treatment, to determine their use as non-invasive diagnostic tools. Materials and Methods In this study, 74 subjects grouped in periodontally healthy, mild, moderate and severe periodontitis, according to clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD) served as participants. IL-1β and PGE2 were determined in unstimulated whole saliva by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Interleukin -1β increased with the severity of periodontitis with a large effect size in prediction of CAL (η2 = 0.35, p = 0.0001). PGE2 showed an increment in mild periodontitis and another in moderate. A significant effect size was also found between PGE2 and PPD (η2 = 0.12, p = 0.003). Both mediators decreased after periodontal treatment. With a selected threshold of 212 pg/ml, salivary IL1-β predicted periodontitis with 78% sensitivity and 100% specificity. With a selected threshold of 121 pg/ml, salivary PGE2 predicted periodontitis with 78% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Conclusion The high sensitivity and specificity of salivary IL-1β and PGE2 in identifying periodontitis suggest a potential use as biomarkers for diagnosis of periodontitis presence and severity.