BRAF gene polymorphism (rs10487888) assessment in chronic periodontitis and peri-implantitis in an Iranian population.

Background: Peri-implantitis (PI) and chronic periodontitis (CP) are multifactorial diseases of implant/tooth supporting tissue that are caused by bacterial infection and increased host immune response. T-cell proliferation plays a pivotal role in the orchestration of host response to bacterial infection. BRAF is a positive regulator of T-cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the role of a functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the BRAF gene in association to PI and CP.

Methods: A total of 194 individuals referred to the Periodontology Department of Shahid Beheshti Dental School, Tehran, Iran, were divided into three groups: 74 patients in the CP group (39 men and 35 women, with mean age of 48.3 years), 38 patients in the PI group (20 men and 18 women, with mean age of 50.2 years), and 82 patients in the healthy periodontium group (39 men and 43 women, with mean age of 45.4 years). DNA was extracted from fresh blood samples collected from the arm vein of participants and was transferred to KBiosience institute (United Kingdom) for genotyping. χ2 and Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted using SPSS software v. 19 for statistical analysis (p<0.05).

Results: The allele (C/T) and genotype (CC, CT, TT) frequencies had insignificant differences among the three groups; however, the CC genotype was more prevalent in the healthy condition than in the disease conditions.

Conclusions: The BRAF gene polymorphism (rs10487888) may not be a genetic determinant for increasing the risk of CP and PI among the Iranian population. More studies with more sample size in different populations are necessary for determining the effect of this SNP.