Interleukin-1 Gene Polymorphisms as Assessed in a 10-Year Study of Patients with Early-Onset Periodontitis

Our 10-year study of early-onset periodontitis (EOP) patients includes repeated clinical observations, microbiological characteristics and analysis of genetic polymorphism of IL-1A and IL-1B genes. Twenty patients (age 15–26 years) were divided according to the clinical status in the 4th year into a group with mean number of teeth with bleeding on probing (BP) 9.8 and mean number of teeth with periodontal pocket (PP) 2.23, and a group with mean number of teeth with BP 5.37 and no PP. Significantly higher values of mean BP and PP were found among the groups during the study but a strong progression of disease was found only in 3 patients. The risk IL-1A allele-2 and IL-1B allele-2 genotype and bacterial presence were analyzed by DNA hybridization methods. No significant differences of bacteria composition (Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans) were found between the groups. A higher prevalence of composite IL-1 genotype was detected in the group of EOP patients with progressive disease. Early finding of the disease followed by conservative therapy could positively influence the disease progression. EOP treated in early stages may, but need not, develop into the aggressive form in the presence of risk genotype IL-1.