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Salivary Gene Study Points to AQP5 as Possible Marker for Severe Caries Risk

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Posted: July 3, 2026

Salivary Gene Study Points to AQP5 as Possible Marker for Severe Caries Risk

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Variation in the AQP5 gene and its activity in saliva was associated with more severe tooth decay, particularly in patients older than 60, according to a study published June 30 in Scientific Reports.

Researchers in Germany enrolled 246 patients from a dental practice cohort, scored their caries experience using the decayed, missing, and filled index, and measured salivary AQP5 messenger RNA with RT-qPCR. Participants were genotyped for four AQP5 variants.

The A allele of one variant, rs3736309, was tied to a higher risk of severe caries, an effect most pronounced in older patients. AQP5 expression in saliva ran higher in people with severe decay and in carriers of a second variant, rs2878771. In a logistic regression adjusted for age and sex, salivary AQP5 expression remained an independent predictor of severe caries, though its ability to distinguish severe from non-severe cases was modest.

AQP5 is a water-channel protein involved in salivary secretion, saliva composition, and enamel mineralization, which the authors said makes genetic differences in the gene a plausible influence on caries susceptibility. They described the effects observed as moderate and age-dependent.

The authors characterized AQP5 as an “exploratory biomarker candidate for caries risk” rather than a ready diagnostic tool, noting that the biological mechanism behind the association is unclear and would require further functional study. Patient enrollment in the cohort is ongoing.

The study was led by J. Bitter and colleagues at practices and university hospital departments affiliated with Ruhr University Bochum and published in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Portfolio. It is registered with the German Clinical Trial Registry.

Sources:
Scientific Reports, “Association of AQP5 gene variants and mRNA expression with caries severity in a dental practice cohort,” by J. Bitter et al., June 30, 2026 (DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-59514-7): nature.com/articles/s41598-026-59514-7
PubMed, PMID 42374058: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42374058


Salivary Gene Study Points to AQP5 as Possible Marker for Severe Caries Risk

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