Salivary IgA antibody to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in a young adult population.

Abstract

Stimulated parotid salivas, collected from 162 young adults, were screened in ELISA Tor IgA antibody to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Subjects with elevated levels of IgA antibody (HSA) were age‐ and sex‐matched with subjects with low antibody levels (LSA) for subsequent study. Infection with A. actinomycetemcomitans, elevated serum antibody levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans, and presence of multiple sites >5 mm were generally found only in the HSA group. There was a significant association between the presence of deep pockets and elevated serum antibody in these subjects. Thus, screening saliva for IgA antibody may be a useful, noninvasive technique to identify individuals with the potential to develop periodontal disease or those who are currently responding to an infection with A. actinomycetemcomitans.