Diagnostic Value of Salivary IL-6 and IL-40 in Patients with Periodontitis

Authors

  • Reem Raad Omar
  • Heba Fadhil Hassan Assistant professor, Department of Basic Science in oral Microbiology, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/d3000.2026.1495

Keywords:

Periodontitis, Saliva, ELISA, Interleukin, Diagnosis

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of salivary IL-6 and IL-40 levels in patients with periodontitis and to investigate their association with clinical periodontal parameters. This case–control study included 60 participants comprising 30 patients diagnosed with Stage III or Stage IV periodontitis and 30 periodontally healthy controls. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected under standardized conditions. Salivary IL-6 and IL-40 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinical periodontal parameters, including plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL), were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, correlation analysis, and logistic regression were performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the investigated biomarkers. Clinical periodontal parameters were significantly higher in periodontitis patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Salivary IL-6 and IL-40 levels were significantly elevated in the periodontitis group. ROC analysis demonstrated good diagnostic performance for both biomarkers. IL-6 showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.868), whereas IL-40 demonstrated acceptable diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.797). Both biomarkers showed significant positive correlations with periodontal parameters, particularly probing pocket depth. Logistic regression analysis identified IL-6 and IL-40 as significant predictors of periodontitis. Salivary IL-6 and IL-40 are significantly associated with periodontitis and demonstrate promising diagnostic potential as non-invasive biomarkers. These findings support their possible application in periodontal disease assessment and monitoring. Further longitudinal studies are recommended to validate their clinical utility and investigate their prognostic value.

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Published

2026-08-14

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Adults & the Elderly

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Reem Raad Omar, Heba Fadhil Hassan

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