Genetic test of periodontal disease susceptivity (PST)
- What does the PST explore?
- The aim of the genetic test (PST) is to detect the presence of a genetic predisposition to periodontal disease. It explores chromosome 2, particularly the genes IL-1A and IL-1B, which control the production of Interleukina 1 (IL-1) in inflammatory responses.
- Why is IL-1 so important?
- IL-1 is a protein released by cells during inflammatory processes. It promotes the release of a series of proteins which bring about the destruction of tissues. Patients with a positive PST result have a high production of IL-1, and thus there is greater tissue destruction.
- Allele IL-1 and periodontitis
In various studies it has been possible to relate the presence of certain alleles of these genes to very serious periodontal disease.
Adult periodontal disease seems to behave as a multifactorial disease, which means that genetics alone cannot explain periodontal pathology.
The seriousness of the illness appears to be amplified by genetic and environmental factors (tobacco). In this disease model, reducing bacterial aggression must be effective in preventing and treating periodontal disease, even in patients who are genetically predisposed to it.
- Why is it useful to know if I am positive?
- The PST is a predictive test. Knowing the risk factors of each patient is of great importance in the future control of the illness. The use of tobacco, dental hygiene and genetic predisposition are considered the factors that most influence the patients who follow a Periodontal Preventive Treatment programme.
- What should I do if my PST results are positive?
- If a patient is positive it is very important to try to control the risk factors that are within our control, especially the use of tobacco and dental hygiene. This genetic predisposition can be passed down to your children, which makes the monitoring of the offspring of positive patients especially important.
- Patients with negative PST results are not at risk?
It appears that patients with serious periodontal diseases have an altered response to bacterial aggression. It is almost certain that the alteration detected by this test is not the only one present. This indicates that patients with negative results may have some other type of alteration that we are not able to detect.
Furthermore, we must not forget that the most significant risk factor for relapses is having previously suffered periodontal disease, something that has occurred in all of our patients.
