Genetic relationships of smoking and periodontitis (version1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor gene polymorphism and risk for periodontitis in smokers
IRAS ID
155267
Contact name
Philip Preshaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Office
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Periodontal disease (PD) is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults. There are several factors that contribute to the PD; tobacco smoke remains the foremost preventable risk factor. Smoking is one of the most common addictive social habits. One sixth of the population in the UK smoke – that is 10 million people. Studies show the effects of the main constituents of tobacco smoke – including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - are mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and result in changes in the immune inflammatory signalling pathways in some systemic diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as a chronic inflammatory disease, bears many similarities to PD. Evidence shows smoking can exacerbate RA via interactions between PAHs and the AhR. In this study, we aim to ascertain whether the same pathways could apply to PD. The aim of this project is therefore to test for interactions between the AhR genotype and smoking with regards to susceptibility to chronic PD.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/2133
Date of REC Opinion
28 Nov 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion