The Short Vitamin D Receptor is Associated with Increased Risk for Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis

Background: Generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP) exhibits severe inflammation and alveolar bone loss. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates both bone metabolism and inflammation-related genes, and its polymorphisms and haplotypes may affect the functional activity of the VDR protein in GAP.

Objective: We analysed the genetic effect of VDR start codon, intron, and exon polymorphisms, and their haplotypes on the development of GAP.

Materials And Methods: The VDR start codon 27823C > T (rs2228570, FokI), intron 8 60890G > A (rs154410, BsmI), and exon 9 61968T > C (rs731236, TaqI) polymorphisms were determined by using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis among 93 GAP patients and 143 healthy controls.

Results: The VDR start codon 27823*C/*C genotype was associated with an increased risk for GAP [odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, p = 0.028], but the intron 8 60880G > A and exon 9 61968T > C polymorphisms were not associated with GAP. The VDR haplotype homozygote ht1(C-G-T) carrying 27823*C allele was associated with a 1.8-fold increased risk of GAP (OR = 1.84, p = 0.030).

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the short VDR (27823*C/*C) protein may influence GAP susceptibility.