Diagnostic accuracy of salivary active matrix metalloproteinase (aMMP)-8 point-of-care test for detecting periodontitis in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine the accuracy of salivary active matrix metalloproteinase (aMMP)-8 point-of-care test (POCT) for detecting periodontitis in adults, through meta-analysis.

Materials And Methods: Diagnostic studies evaluating the accuracy of salivary/oral rinse aMMP-8 POCT for detecting periodontitis in adults, when compared with clinical examination, were considered eligible. A comprehensive search was performed up to 31 August 2023 through five databases. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 was utilized to evaluate the methodological quality of the included articles. Meta-analysis was performed using Bayesian bivariate hierarchical model and subgroup analysis.

Results: From 368 screened studies, 6 studies (4 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of salivary aMMP-8-POCT for detecting periodontitis were 0.63 (95% CI: 0.41-0.82) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.65-0.95), respectively. Subgroup analyses revealed that the 95% CI for oral fluid types, predefined diagnostic thresholds and the POCT systems largely overlapped, indicating that the differences between them may not be significant.

Conclusion: Salivary aMMP-8 POCT shows fair accuracy for detecting periodontitis. The diagnostic accuracy cannot be significantly influenced by the types of oral fluids, predefined diagnostic thresholds or the specific POCT systems used. More research is needed to confirm the clinical utility and implementation of aMMP-8 POCT in the diagnosis of periodontitis.