A pioneering 2026 study published in Scientific Reports has identified salivary aquaporin-9 (AQP9) mRNA expression as a promising novel biomarker for the prevalence of dental caries and periodontitis, opening new avenues for non-invasive risk assessment and early intervention .
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Dental caries and periodontitis are the most frequently diagnosed dental diseases worldwide, and their occurrence is age-dependent. Due to their widespread prevalence, they represent a major public health challenge. The study, part of the OKAPI prospective observational trial, enrolled 159 patients (40.9% male) from a dental practice and an oral and maxillofacial plastic surgery clinic . Clinical data including the PSI-index and DMFT-Index were recorded, and saliva samples were collected for RNA isolation and quantitative RT-PCR analysis .
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Among the study participants, 39.4% had severe caries and 15.3% had periodontitis. The results demonstrated that AQP9 mRNA expression was significantly increased in patients with severe caries compared to those with milder forms (p = 0.0120). Similarly, increased AQP9 expression was detected in patients with periodontitis compared to unaffected individuals (p = 0.0364) .
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The researchers calculated an AQP9 cut-off value to discriminate between patients with and without severe caries. A binary logistic regression model identified this cut-off as most relevant for identifying risk factors for both caries (p = 0.009) and periodontitis (p = 0.023) . The groups below and above the cut-off differed only in the presence of severe caries or periodontitis and age, suggesting that AQP9 expression serves as an independent predictive marker .
Aquaporins are a family of water channel proteins that facilitate rapid transmembrane water transport. AQP9 is known for its role as a permeable channel for water, glycerol, and other small molecules, and has attracted considerable scientific interest in recent years . The study's authors concluded that AQP9 mRNA expression is associated with the prevalence of caries or periodontitis and could represent a novel biomarker .
This discovery holds significant clinical potential. A salivary biomarker for caries and periodontitis risk would enable non-invasive, cost-effective screening in dental practice settings, allowing clinicians to identify high-risk patients earlier and implement targeted preventive strategies. The trial was registered in the German Clinical Trial Registry (DRKS00032425) and received approval from the medical faculty of Ruhr University Bochum .