Prevention of Initial Periodontitis Is an Investment in the Future
Anna Maria Heikkinen, Teija Raivisto, Ismo Tapani Räisänen, Timo Sorsa

TL;DR
The study shows that measuring aMMP-8 in mouth rinses can help identify adolescents at risk of periodontitis, enabling early prevention.
Contribution
The study introduces aMMP-8 as a reliable biomarker for early detection of periodontitis in adolescents.
Findings
aMMP-8 test positivity is more strongly associated with initial periodontitis than bleeding on probing.
Approximately 10% of adolescents showed subclinical periodontitis and were at risk despite not being sick.
Bacterial plaques, elevated aMMP-8, smoking, and male sex are key risk factors for initial periodontitis.
Abstract
Background: Periodontal tissue damage is mainly caused by the active form of collagenolytic matrix metalloproteinase-8, aMMP-8, the concentration of which in the mouth rinse can be measured with a mouth rinse chairside-test. The mouth rinse chair side test can be used to identify adolescents with a risk of periodontitis. Methods: The data were collected at the Kotka Health Centre (2004–2005, N = 501 and 2014–2015, N = 47) and at the Hämeenlinna Health Centre (2017–2018, N = 125) consisting of adolescents aged 14–17. They underwent a complete periodontal examination, and some were subjected to the aMMP-8-test. Results: We identified bacterial plaques in combination with increased bleeding on probing (BOP), elevated aMMP-8 concentration, smoking and male sex as the main risk factors for initial periodontitis. Approximately 10% of adolescents had subclinical periodontitis, they were not…
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Taxonomy
TopicsOral microbiology and periodontitis research · Dental Health and Care Utilization · Dental Radiography and Imaging
