Journal of Dental Research, Vol 67, 851-854, Copyright © 1988 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Allelic variants for complement factors C3, C4, and B in acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
S. L. Melnick, R. C. Go, R. B. Cogen and J. M. Roseman
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
Impaired immune defense mechanisms and genetic factors appear to play a
role in susceptibility to acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG).
Therefore, possible etiological mechanisms might involve genes at the Major
Histocompatibility Complex, which include the complement factor loci. We
have tested for a possible association between certain complement factor
alleles and ANUG using a case-control study design. Specific alleles at
complement factors C3 and C4, and properdin factor B (Bf) loci were
determined indirectly by high voltage agarose gel electrophoresis in 58
subjects with a history of ANUG and in 58 age-sex-matched healthy controls.
The highest relative risk of ANUG, as obtained by conditional logistic
regression, for alleles at the C3 locus was 1.9 (90% confidence limits 0.8
to 4.8; p = 0.229) for C3*F-positive individuals. The highest relative risk
for alleles at the C4 locus was 2.6 (0.5 to 14.9; p = 0.358) for
C4A*3-positive individuals. There was no evidence for an association
between Bf allotype and risk of ANUG, with a relative risk of 1.2 for Bf*F-
and relative risk of 1.0 for B*S-positive individuals. None of our
estimates was statistically significant. We conclude, therefore, that it is
unlikely that there is any association between complement factor gene
haplotype and susceptibility to ANUG.
