Using Genetics in Periodontal Disease to Justify Implant Failure in Down Syndrome Patients

Peri-implant bone loss leading to dental implant failure does not develop in the same way across subjects who apparently present the same condition-specifically, in the case of Down syndrome patients with the same genetic disorder-given that they do not necessarily develop immune-inflammatory disorders to the same extent.

This retrospective case-control study was aimed at identifying the possible genes involved in implant failure in Down syndrome patients by matching the periodontal disease variable by means of a retrospective case-control study. This process involved using the functional analysis of gene expression software Transcriptome Analysis Console (TAC, Affymetrix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) and a search for the possible candidate genes involved. Focus was placed on the 92 genes related to the inflammation identified from the TaqMan™ Array Plate Human Inflammation Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA).

Six genes showed statistically significant results (p < 0.05) in our comparison. Three of them-PLCG2 (p = 0.0333), ALOX5 (p = 0.03) and LTAH4 (p = 0.0081)-were overexpressed in the implant reject group, and the following three were down-regulated: VCAM1 (p = 0.0182), PLA2G2A (p = 0.0034) and PLA2G10 (p = 0.047).

Statistically significant differences exist in the gene expression involved in osteoclastogenesis, inflammatory response and host defensive response.