Aim: The humoral immune system is implicated in the link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis. This study aims to explore how interactions between the oral microbiota and humoral immune responses may contribute to this association.
Materials and methods: We analysed data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, which included 1560 participants who underwent comprehensive health and oral examinations. Serum antibodies against phosphorylcholine (PCho) and malondialdehyde acetaldehyde (MAA) adducts were measured using chemiluminescence immunoassays. In a sub-cohort (n = 868), the oral microbiome from saliva samples was characterised using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Results: Higher serum levels of IgA and IgG to PCho, as well as IgA to MAA, were associated with an increased number of teeth with probing pocket depths (PPD) ≥ 4 mm. Several oral bacterial species, including Prevotella dentalis , Filifactor alocis and Treponema denticola , correlated with both PPD ≥ 4 mm and IgA/IgG responses to PCho. Mediation analysis, adjusted for periodontitis risk factors, identified F. alocis as a mediator linking elevated plasma IgG to PCho with the number of teeth with PPD ≥ 4 mm. Additionally, individuals harbouring F. alocis exhibited increased carotid intima-media thickness.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that F. alocis may serve as a microbial link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis. Future mechanistic studies should investigate how F. alocis induces systemic IgG responses and contributes to atherosclerosis.
Keywords: Filifactor alocis; cardiovascular disease; immunoglobulin G; periodontitis; phosphorylcholine.
© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Clinical Periodontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.