Table 2.
Candidate genes studied for dental caries in humans.
| Genes | Function | Results and conclusion | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enamelin (ENAM) | Mineralization and structural organization of the enamel | Associated with higher caries experience | Patir et al. [54]; Shimizu et al. [49]; Jeremias et al. [55]; Gerreth at al. [56]; Wang et al. [57] |
| Amelogenin (AMELX) | Mineralization during tooth enamel development | Associated with higher caries experience | Deeley et al. [58]; Kang et al. [53]; Shimizu et al. [49]; Jeremias et al. [55] |
| Associated with lower caries experience | Kang et al. [53] | ||
| No evidence of association | Slayton et al. [59]; Olszowski et al. [60]; Ergoz et al. [61]; Gasse et al. [62] | ||
| Ameloblastin (AMBN) | Involved in enamel matrix formation and mineralization | Associated with higher caries experience | Patir et al. [54]; Shimizu et al. [49]; Ergoz et al. [61] |
| Protective effect for caries | Gerreth at al. [63] | ||
| No evidence of association | Slayton et al. [59]; Deeley et al. [58]; Jeremias et al. [55] | ||
| Tuftelin 1 (TUFT1) | Expressed in the developing and mineralized tooth | Associated with higher caries experience. Depends of the presence of Streptococcus mutans | Slayton et al. [59]; Patir et al. [54]; Deelay et al. [58]; Shimizu et al. [49] |
| No evidence of association | Wang et al. [19]; Ergoz et al. [61]; Jeremias et al. [55] | ||
| Tuftelin interaction protein 11 (TFIP11) | Thought to interact with tuftelin and can play a role in spliceosome disassembly in Cajal bodies [32] | Associated with initiation of carious lesions and higher caries experience | Shimizu et al. [49]; Jeremias et al. [55] |
| Kallikrein-related peptidase 4 (KLK 4) | Degrades amelogenin | Associated with lower caries experiences | Wang et al. [19]; Abbasoglu et al. [64]; Gerreth at al. [63]; Cavallari et al. [65]; Weber et al. [66] |
| No evidence of association when DMFT scores are analyzed | Slayton et al. [59]; Deeley et al. [58]; Patir et al. [54]; Shimizu et al. [49]; Ergoz et al. [61]; Yildiz et al. [67] | ||
| Matrix metalloproteinase 20 (MMP20) | Degrades amelogenin | Associated with higher caries experiences with poor oral health | Tannure et al. [68] |
| No evidence of association | Wang et al. [19] | ||
| Matrix metalloproteinase 16 (MMP16) | Degrades amelogenin | Involved in white spot lesion and early childhood caries development | Antunes et al. [69] |
| Significantly associated with caries in an individual sample of white adults | Lewis et al. [70] | ||
| CD14 molecule (CD14) | Mediates innate immune response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide | Absent in the saliva of individuals with active carious lesions | Bergandi et al. [71] |
| Human leukocyte antigen; major histocompatibility complex, class II, DR beta 1 (HLA-DRB1), and DQ beta 1 (HLA-DQB1) | Presents peptides derived from extracellular proteins | Frequency of allele 4 of DRB1 is increased in children with early childhood caries. Also, allele 2 of DQB1 is increased in adolescents affected by caries. DRB1 allele 1 and DQB1 allele 3 frequencies are increased in the presence of Streptococcus mutans. | Lehner et al. [72]; Altun et al. [73]; Bagherian et al. [74]; Valarini et al. [75] |
| Beta defensin 1 (DEFB1) | Antimicrobial peptide implicated in the resistance of epithelial surface to microbial colonization | Distinct DEFB1 haplotypes are associated with low and high caries experience | Ozturk et al. [76]; Krasone et al. [77] |
| Lactotransferrin (LTF) | Major iron-binding protein in milk and body secretions with antimicrobial activity | Associated with lower caries experience. No mutations found in the promoter region. | Azevedo et al. [78]; Fine et al. [79]; Brancher et al. [80] |
| Mucin 7 (MUC7) | Facilitates the clearance of bacteria in the oral cavity | Associated with higher caries experience with poor oral hygiene. No evidence of association. | Pol [81]; Buczkowska-Radlinska et al. [82] |
| Mucin 5B (MUC5B) | Contribute to the lubricating and viscoelastic properties of whole saliva | Suggested association with dental caries | Cavallari et al. [83] |
| Mannose-binding lection (protein C) 2, soluble (MBL2) | Bactericidal factor that binds to the Ra and R2 polysaccharides expressed by certain enterobacteria | No evidence of association | Olszowski et al. [60] |
| Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) | Water channel protein that plays a role in the generation of saliva, tears, and pulmonary secretions | Associated with higher caries experience | Wang et al. [19] Weber et al. [66] |
| Possibly protective for caries in interaction with fluoride | Anjomshoaa et al. [84] | ||
| Protein-rich protein HaeIII subfamily 1 (PRH1) | Provide protective environment for the teeth | Associated with higher caries experience and colonization by Streptococcus mutans | Zakhary et al. [85] |
| Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) | Degrades type IV collagen | No evidence of association | Tannure et al. [86] |
| Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) | Degrades type IV and V collagens | No evidence of association | Tannure et al. [86] |
| Matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) | Involved in endochondral ossification and bone remodeling. This gene is physically close to MMP20 and may be evolved at the same time before the divergence of ray-finned fish and lobe-finned fish [87] | Associated with lower caries experience | Tannure et al. [86] |
| TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2 (TIMP2) | Possibly critical to the maintenance of tissue homeostasis by suppressing the proliferation of quiescent tissues in response to angiogenic factors and by inhibiting protease activity in tissues undergoing remodeling of the extracellular matrix | No evidence of association | Tannure et al. [86] |
| Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) | Involved in the mineralization process of dentin | Associated with lower caries experience | Wang et al. [19] |
| Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) | Involved in the attachment of osteoclasts to the mineralized bone matrix | No evidence of association | Wang et al. [19] |
| Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) | Associated with bone mineralization, possibly involved in the formation of the hard structures of teeth | Association with early childhood caries | Abbasoglu et al. [64] |
| Carbonic anhydrase IV (CA4) | Involved in respiration, calcification, acid-base balance, bone resorption, and formation of aqueous humor, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, and gastric acid | No evidence of association | Yarat et al. [88] |
| Carbonic anhydrase VI (CA6) | Catalyzation of the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide in saliva, possible involvement in pH regulation, taste perception, and tooth formation | Associated with S. mutans colonization, tooth biofilm microbiota composition, and risk of dental caries | Esberg et al. [89] |
| Distal-less homeobox 3 (DLX3) | One of the genes involved in amelogenesis imperfecta | Associated with dental caries susceptibility | Ohta et al. [90] |
| Taste receptor, type 2, member 38 (TAS2R38) | Controls the ability to taste glucosinolates | Associated with lower caries experience | Wendell et al. [91] |
| Taste receptor, type 1, member 2 (TAS1R2) | Sweet taste receptor | Associated with both lower and higher caries experience | Wendell et al. [91]; Kulkarni et al. [92] |
| Guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha transducing 3 (GNAT3) | Believe to be involved in dietary preferences | No evidence of association | Wendell et al. [91] |
| Solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 2 (SLC2A2) | Mediated facilitated bidirectional glucose transport | Associated with higher caries experience | Kulkarni et al. [92] |