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Heritability of Caries Scores, Trajectories, and Disease Subtypes

Haworth, S. ; Esberg, A. ; Lif Holgerson, P. ; Kuja-Halkola, R. ; Timpson, Nicholas J. ; Magnusson, P. K.E. ; Franks, P. W. LU and Johansson, I. (2020) In Journal of Dental Research 99(3). p.264-270
Abstract

Previous studies report that dental caries is partially heritable, but there is uncertainty in the magnitude of genetic effects and little understanding of how genetic factors might influence caries progression or caries subtypes. This study aimed to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of different caries outcomes using a twin-based design. Analysis included up to 41,678 twins in the Swedish Twin Register aged 7 to 97 y, and dental data were obtained from preexisting dental records. The outcome measures were 1) summary indices of caries experience, 2) parameters representing trajectory in caries progression derived from longitudinal modeling, and 3) caries scores in groups of... (More)

Previous studies report that dental caries is partially heritable, but there is uncertainty in the magnitude of genetic effects and little understanding of how genetic factors might influence caries progression or caries subtypes. This study aimed to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of different caries outcomes using a twin-based design. Analysis included up to 41,678 twins in the Swedish Twin Register aged 7 to 97 y, and dental data were obtained from preexisting dental records. The outcome measures were 1) summary indices of caries experience, 2) parameters representing trajectory in caries progression derived from longitudinal modeling, and 3) caries scores in groups of biologically similar tooth surfaces derived from hierarchical clustering of tooth surfaces (termed caries clusters). Additive genetic factors explained between 49.1% and 62.7% of variation in caries scores and between 50.0% and 60.5% of variation in caries trajectories. Seven caries clusters were identified, which had estimates of heritability lying between 41.9% and 54.3%. Shared environmental factors were important for only some of these clusters and explained 16% of variation in fissure caries in molar teeth but little variation in other clusters of caries presentation. The genetic factors influencing these clusters were only partially overlapping, suggesting that different biological processes are important in different groups of tooth surfaces and that innate liability to some patterns of caries presentation may partially explain why groups of tooth surfaces form clusters within the mouth. These results provide 1) improved quantification of genetic factors in the etiology of caries and 2) new data about the role of genetics in terms of longitudinal changes in caries status and specific patterns of disease presentation, and they may help lay the foundations for personalized interventions in the future.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
cluster analysis, dental caries susceptibility, epidemiology, genetics, longitudinal, twins
in
Journal of Dental Research
volume
99
issue
3
pages
7 pages
publisher
International & American Associations for Dental Research
external identifiers
  • scopus:85077525234
  • pmid:31905308
ISSN
0022-0345
DOI
10.1177/0022034519897910
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d3a909f1-f149-478a-a4ba-01196be7332c
date added to LUP
2020-01-22 17:17:05
date last changed
2024-06-12 07:35:44
@article{d3a909f1-f149-478a-a4ba-01196be7332c,
  abstract     = {{<p>Previous studies report that dental caries is partially heritable, but there is uncertainty in the magnitude of genetic effects and little understanding of how genetic factors might influence caries progression or caries subtypes. This study aimed to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of different caries outcomes using a twin-based design. Analysis included up to 41,678 twins in the Swedish Twin Register aged 7 to 97 y, and dental data were obtained from preexisting dental records. The outcome measures were 1) summary indices of caries experience, 2) parameters representing trajectory in caries progression derived from longitudinal modeling, and 3) caries scores in groups of biologically similar tooth surfaces derived from hierarchical clustering of tooth surfaces (termed caries clusters). Additive genetic factors explained between 49.1% and 62.7% of variation in caries scores and between 50.0% and 60.5% of variation in caries trajectories. Seven caries clusters were identified, which had estimates of heritability lying between 41.9% and 54.3%. Shared environmental factors were important for only some of these clusters and explained 16% of variation in fissure caries in molar teeth but little variation in other clusters of caries presentation. The genetic factors influencing these clusters were only partially overlapping, suggesting that different biological processes are important in different groups of tooth surfaces and that innate liability to some patterns of caries presentation may partially explain why groups of tooth surfaces form clusters within the mouth. These results provide 1) improved quantification of genetic factors in the etiology of caries and 2) new data about the role of genetics in terms of longitudinal changes in caries status and specific patterns of disease presentation, and they may help lay the foundations for personalized interventions in the future.</p>}},
  author       = {{Haworth, S. and Esberg, A. and Lif Holgerson, P. and Kuja-Halkola, R. and Timpson, Nicholas J. and Magnusson, P. K.E. and Franks, P. W. and Johansson, I.}},
  issn         = {{0022-0345}},
  keywords     = {{cluster analysis; dental caries susceptibility; epidemiology; genetics; longitudinal; twins}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{264--270}},
  publisher    = {{International & American Associations for Dental Research}},
  series       = {{Journal of Dental Research}},
  title        = {{Heritability of Caries Scores, Trajectories, and Disease Subtypes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022034519897910}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0022034519897910}},
  volume       = {{99}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}