Skin levels of advanced glycation end products in correlation with periodontal conditions – a pilot study

Abstract Background Although associations between periodontitis and metabolic diseases are established, published data about the correlation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and periodontal inflammation are scarce. The aim of the pilot study was to assess the AGE-levels in the skin of patients with gingival (GI: bleeding on probing (BOP) positive, no periodontal pockets), or periodontal inflammation (PE + : BOP-positive with periodontal pockets), or individuals with a history of periodontitis but no signs of current inflammation (PE-: BOP-negative with clinical attachment loss) to evaluate a potential role of AGEs as a biomarker for disease severity and risk of metabolic comorbidities in patients with GI or PE. Methods After an oral examination a total of 168 patients (healthy or with control systemic conditions e.g. diabetes) were classified into a GI (n = 68), PE + (n = 64) and PE- (n = 36) group. AGE levels were measured non-invasively on the skin of the inner forearm using a point-of-care AGE-reader. Cardiovascular (CV) risk was assessed based on numerical AGE read-out in the skin and diabetes risk was determined using the Finnish-Diabetes-Risk-Score (FINDRISC) questionnaire. Results Significantly higher AGE levels were found in PE (2.1(0.6)) versus GI (1.7(0.6) (p < 0.001), whereas no significant association could be identified between the CV risk in PE versus GI (p = 0.196). A subgroup analysis in PE identified a positive association for patients with current gingival inflammation (PE +) and higher CV-risk (p = 0.031). The FINDRISC was higher in PE (10.1(5.1)) compared to GI (6.1(4.9)) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Current inflammation in PE is associated with increased CV risk based on AGE levels of the skin. The AGE Reader may serve as a non-invasive screening tool in dental practice to support early CV-risk assessment and interdisciplinary prevention strategies. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered in the DRKS—German Clinical Trials Register ( https://www.drks.de ) with the registration-ID DRKS00031545 (23/03/2023).