Salivary immunoglobulins in patients with juvenile periodontitis and their healthy siblings.

The concentrations of the salivary immunoglobulins IgA, IgG and IgM were determined with a solid phase radioimmunoassay in the unstimulated whole saliva of 21 patients with juvenile periodontitis (JP), their 27 healthy siblings and 17 healthy age-matched controls. In the JP group the concentrations of IgA were increased, averaging 188 +/- 32.5 (SE) mg/L as compared with the mean of 139 +/- 21.2 mg/L in their healthy siblings and 130 +/- 24.5 mg/L in the controls. An elevation was found in the amount of IgG in the JP patients 45.6 +/- 12.5 mg/L as compared with 18.1 +/- 5.9 mg/L in the siblings and 21.0 +/- 5.6 mg/L in the controls. The mean IgM was 22.5 +/- 5.4 mg/L in the JP group, 13.3 +/- 2.9 mg/L in the siblings and 8.7 +/- 1.6 mg/L in the controls, indicating an increase of IgM in the JP group and the siblings. A significant difference was found in the mean IgM values in the juvenile periodontitis group when compared to the control group. (0.02 greater than P greater than 0.01).