Objective: This study aimed to compare salivary levels of galectin-8, galectin-9, and RANKL in individuals with gingivitis, periodontitis, and healthy periodontium, and to evaluate their diagnostic potential in periodontal diseases.
Methods: A total of 60 systemically healthy, non-smoking individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants were divided into three groups based on periodontal examination: healthy (Group H, n = 20), gingivitis (Group G, n = 20), and periodontitis (Group P, n = 20). Clinical periodontal parameters were recorded. Salivary biomarker levels were analyzed using ELISA.
Results: All biomarkers were significantly elevated in groups G and P compared to group H (p < 0.05), and higher in group P than group G (p < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that galectin-9 (AUC = 0.946) was significantly better at distinguishing periodontal disease than galectin-8 (AUC = 0.832) and RANKL (AUC = 0.780) (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between galectin-8 and RANKL (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Salivary galectin-8, galectin-9, and RANKL levels are elevated in periodontal disease and may serve as diagnostic biomarkers. Among them, galectin-9 demonstrated superior discriminative power for identifying periodontal disease.
Trial registration: NCT06404476.
Keywords: RANKL; galectin‐8; galectin‐9; periodontal disease; saliva.
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