Sixteen hundred radiographic records obtained through the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Dental Registry and DNA Repository were screened for subjects with deep carious lesions in dentin with or without periapical lesions (≥3 mm). DNA samples of 268 patients were sorted into 2 groups: 158 cases with deep carious lesions but no periapical lesions (controls) and 110 cases with periapical lesions and deep carious lesions (cases). Sixteen SNP markers in MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, MMP13, MMP14, and TIMP2, were selected for genotyping. Genotypes were generated by endpoint analysis in a real-time polymerase chain reaction instrument. Analyses were performed comparing cases and controls. Allele and genotypic frequencies and haplotype analysis were calculated using the PLINK program.
An association was found for MMP3 rs639752 (P = .03) and rs679620 (P = .004) genotypes in individuals with periapical lesions. We also observed altered transmission of MMP2 marker haplotypes (P = .000004) in these individuals.
Variations in MMP2 and MMP3 are associated with periapical lesion formation in individuals with untreated deep carious lesions. Future studies could help predict host susceptibility to developing periapical lesions.