The impact of <italic>MUC5B</italic> gene on dental caries.

Objective: To identify the impact of <italic>MUC5B</italic> polymorphisms on dental caries. Methods: A case–control study was performed with patients recruited at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. These individuals were aged 12 years old or more. Dental caries was diagnosed using the <italic>International Caries Detection and Assessment System,</italic> and the effects of socioeconomic, dietary, and hygiene factors on dental caries were investigated. Furthermore, buccal cells were collected, and their DNA was extracted and amplified using PCR. Uni‐, bi‐, and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Two hundred patients were recruited, 100 were assigned to the case group and 100 to the control group. In the bivariate analysis, the following variables showed significant results: ethnicity (<italic>p </italic>=<italic> </italic>.008), biofilm (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.001), and gingivitis (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.001). The <italic>MUC5B</italic> gene affected dental caries with the markers rs2735733 (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.001), rs2249073 (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.001), and rs2857476 (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.001). In the multivariate analysis, the biofilm variable remained significant (<italic>p </italic>=<italic> </italic>.026), as did the following markers from the <italic>MUC5B</italic> gene: rs2735733 (<italic>p </italic>=<italic> </italic>.019), rs2249073 (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.025), and rs2857476 (<italic>p </italic><<italic> </italic>.005). Conclusion: Genetic variations in the <italic>MUC5B</italic> gene can influence dental caries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]