Lack of Association between Enamel Gene Variants and Dental Caries in Adults

Objectives: Studies report that gene polymorphisms associated with mineralization may change the structure of enamel and create a predisposition for developing dental caries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the VDR and TFIP11 gene variants in adults with caries experience and to investigate their interactions with the environmental factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 individuals at the age of 24-40 years were included in the study and they were assigned to two groups according to decayed-missing-filled teeth index (DMFT); namely the low caries experience (LCE, DMFT≤4) and high caries experience (HCE, DMFT> 9.13).  DNA was isolated from buccal swab samples to genotype the VDR (TaqI; rs731236) and TFIP11 (rs5997096) gene variants. The real-time PCR was used for genotyping. The frequency of tooth brushing, carbohydrate intake, smoking, and the dental plaques were evaluated as environmental risk factors. Results: Between the caries groups and the distribution of the genotypes and alleles of the VDR rs731236 and TFIP11 rs5997096 gene variants were not statistically different. There was also no significant difference when homozygous, heterozygous, dominant, and recessive models were evaluated for the two variants. The frequency of tooth brushing was significantly higher in the LCE group. According to the regression analysis; the amount of plaque explained the high caries experience at a rate of 51.4%. Conclusions: The study findings indicated that common variants in the VDR and TFIP11 genes were not associated with high caries experiences in Turkish adults.