Inflammatory signatures may distinguish dental caries - Takeaways - MDSpire
Coming Soon: Introducing MDSpire News. Learn more
Conexiant’s news site is now MDSpire News. Learn more

Inflammatory signatures may distinguish dental caries

Combining IL-17 with TNF-alpha showed strong discrimination between carious lesions and healthy controls, but performance was more modest against gingival inflammation.

  • By

  • Andrea Surnit

  • September 9, 2026

  • 3 min

Share

  • 1

    A salivary cytokine signature can distinguish carious lesions from healthy states, but has limited ability to differentiate from gingival inflammation.

  • 2

    The study analyzed 65 patients aged 18 to 30 years with carious lesions, gingival inflammation, or healthy conditions using a multiplex assay.

  • 3

    TNF-alpha was the strongest discriminator of carious lesions from healthy controls, while IL-6 was elevated in patients with carious lesions.

  • 4

    The combination of IL-17 and TNF-alpha showed the highest discrimination for carious lesions, but modestly distinguished them from gingival inflammation.

  • 5

    The study's findings are limited by a small sample size, narrow age range, and cross-sectional design, necessitating further validation.

Original Source(s)

Inflammatory signatures may distinguish dental caries

  • by Andrea Surnit

  • September 9, 2026

Related Content

Sleeve and holster signs in dermatomyositis

Anti-CGRP antibodies may raise miscarriage risk

Findings from 7,579 pregnancies suggest a potential safety concern with migraine prevention during early pregnancy.

Endometrial cancer drug cuts progression or death risk 41%

FDA grants Priority Review following improved survival versus chemotherapy in phase 3 trial.