Insights to Preventive Dentistry via Salivary Defensin Peptide: Evaluating B-Defensins for Caries Control and Periodontal Disease Prevention :A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Background: Salivary β-defensins form an essential part of oral immune system activity since they lead microbial balance control and help prevent dental caries and periodontal diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine the role of salivary β-defensins in preventive dentistry by eval...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ziauddin University
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.zu.edu.pk/pjmd/article/view/3687 |
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| Summary: | Background: Salivary β-defensins form an essential part of oral immune system activity since they lead microbial balance control and help prevent dental caries and periodontal diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis examine the role of salivary β-defensins in preventive dentistry by evaluating their association with dental caries incidence and their potential contribution to periodontal disease prevention.
Methods: This review was as to the PRISMA 2020 standards. Until April 2025, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to identify English-language studies that measured the salivary levels of salivary β-defensin or HNP-1 levels in connection to dental caries or periodontal disease. Out of the eight studies that were identified as eligible, there were observational designs and clinical trials. The following instruments were applied to determine the risk of bias: NOS and Cochrane. In RevMan 5.4.1, odds ratio (OR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) pooled estimates and their 95 percent confidence interval (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. The I2 statistic was used to determine heterogeneity. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were described in narrative.
Results: 830 patients were included in 8 studies conducted, evaluating salivary beta-defensins and HNPs with dental caries and periodontal disease. Meta-analysis revealed significantly higher odds of the altered β-defensin levels amongst disease groups than in the controls OR = 1.54; 95% CI: 1.16–2.05; I² = 2.8%). HNPs Pooled analysis also indicated higher odds, although it did not reach significance (OR = 2.38; 95% CI: 0.98, 5.77), whereas levels of hBD-3 did not differ significantly between groups (SMD = - 0.15, 95% CI: -1.341.04, I2 = 94%). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses gave equivalent results in beta-defensins, but said there was diversity in HNP studies. The risk of bias was low to moderate in the majority of the studies.
Discussion: The existing research indicates that β-defensins could serve preventive dentistry in terms of biomarker detection and therapeutic development yet more research standards and patient-specific methods should be operationalized to advance this potential. Researchers need to conduct studies across multiple centers in order to independently demonstrate and apply these findings.
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| ISSN: | 2313-7371 2308-2593 |