Consanguinity increases the risk for aggressive periodontitis

Genetic predisposition is an important factor for developing aggressive periodontitis (AgP); however, previous studies only focused on individual families where consanguineous marriages have not been considered. Thus, there is a debate in the understanding of the genetic features of this disease. The present study aims to compare the genetic features of AgP in individuals with and without history of consanguineous marriages.

Thirty-three probands from 16 pedigrees with history of consanguineous marriage and 17 pedigrees without history of consanguineous marriage were analyzed in terms of heritability of AgP. Detailed clinical evaluations of the probands showing their periodontal health and their family medical histories were obtained. The gingival index, plaque index, bleeding on probing, suppuration, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level data were analyzed and compared between groups. The gender differences were also taken into account to determine the mode of inheritance of AgP.

The gingival index, bleeding on probing, suppuration, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level scores were significantly different between the affected and unaffected groups for both genders, which were consistent with the diagnosis of AgP. Strikingly, when the consanguineous group and the non-consanguineous group were compared, the siblings of the consanguineous group displayed approximately 8 times more prevalence of AgP (15.15%) compared to the siblings of the probands in the non-consanguineous group (1.89%) (P = .022). In addition, the mode of transmission of the disease was found to fit better to the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern.

Current findings indicate that AgP is segregated on autosomal chromosomes and consanguineous marriage increases the likelihood of developing this disease.