Assessment of salivary biomarkers in early peri-implantitis detection

Peri-implantitis is often detected only after significant tissue destruction, and conventional diagnostic methods fail to reliably identify early disease activity. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of salivary biomarkers-interleukin-1β (IL-1β), matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-by comparing their concentrations in patients with healthy peri-implant tissues and those with peri-implantitis. Fifty participants were divided into two equal groups, saliva samples were collected and analysed using ELISA and clinical parameters such as probing depth, bleeding on probing and radiographic bone loss were recorded. Statistical analysis (t-tests and correlations, p < 0.05) revealed significantly elevated levels of IL-1β, MMP-8 and TNF-α in peri-implantitis patients, with IL-1β and MMP-8 strongly correlating with probing depth and TNF-α moderately correlating with bone loss. Thus, we show that salivary IL-1β, MMP-8 and TNF-α show strong potential as reliable, non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of peri-implantitis.