Saliva Gene Study Explores Future Caries Risk Marker for Older Patients

Start Discussion
Posted: July 3, 2026

Saliva Gene Study Explores Future Caries Risk Marker for Older Patients

Edited by Hygienetown staff

A gene involved in saliva production could one day help identify patients at higher risk for severe tooth decay, especially those older than 60, according to a study published June 30 in Scientific Reports.

Researchers in Germany enrolled 246 patients from a dental practice cohort and looked at the AQP5 gene, which helps regulate how saliva is produced and composed and plays a role in enamel mineralization. They scored each patient’s caries experience using the decayed, missing, and filled index, measured salivary AQP5 messenger RNA, and tested for four genetic variants.

Carriers of the A allele of one variant, rs3736309, faced a higher risk of severe caries, with the strongest effect in older patients. Salivary AQP5 expression was elevated in people with severe decay, and it remained an independent predictor of severe caries after the analysis accounted for age and sex. The test’s ability to separate severe from milder cases, however, was modest.

Saliva plays a central role in protecting teeth against decay, and the authors said genetic differences affecting salivary function could help explain why some patients are more caries-prone than others. The effects they measured were moderate and became more evident with age.

The researchers described AQP5 as an “exploratory biomarker candidate for caries risk,” not a chairside test, and said the mechanism behind the link needs further study before it could inform risk assessment. Enrollment in the cohort continues.

The study was led by J. Bitter and colleagues affiliated with Ruhr University Bochum and published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Portfolio.

Sources:
Scientific Reports, “Association of AQP5 gene variants and mRNA expression with caries severity in a dental practice cohort,” by J. Bitter et al., June 30, 2026 (DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-59514-7): nature.com/articles/s41598-026-59514-7
PubMed, PMID 42374058: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42374058


Saliva Gene Study Explores Future Caries Risk Marker for Older Patients

Views: 4
Start Discussion
Sponsors
Townie® Poll
Which patient communication challenge do you encounter most often?
  
Site Menu
Message Boards Articles Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
The Hygienetown Team, Farran Media Support
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: support@hygienetown.com
©2026 Hygienetown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450