Non-Cochrane · DTA · PM42254999
The role of salivary lactoferrin as a potential biomarker for periodontal disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Tayebi-Hillali Hoda, Leira Yago, Botelho João, et al. · Frontiers in oral health · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.3389/froh.2026.1812772
Findings
6 findings
| Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individuals with periodontitis vs periodontally healthy controls | Periodontitis (exposure) | Periodontally healthy controls | Lactoferrin level in gingival crevicular fluid Cross-sectional (single time point) · Gingival crevicular fluid · Chronic periodontitis (CP) studies | ROM 8.63 [2.68, 27.87] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 3 studies · 88 participants |
| Individuals with periodontitis vs periodontally healthy controls | Periodontitis (exposure) | Periodontally healthy controls | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva Cross-sectional (single time point) · Unstimulated whole saliva · Chronic periodontitis (CP) studies | ROM 1.77 [1.40, 2.24] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 4 studies · 189 participants |
| Individuals with periodontitis vs periodontally healthy controls | Periodontitis (exposure) | Periodontally healthy controls | Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva Cross-sectional (single time point) · Stimulated whole saliva · All periodontitis types (AgP + CP), overall | ROM 2.14 [1.38, 3.32] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 4 studies · 215 participants |
| Individuals with periodontitis vs periodontally healthy controls | Periodontitis (exposure) | Periodontally healthy controls | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva Cross-sectional (single time point) · Unstimulated whole saliva · All periodontitis types (AgP + CP), overall | ROM 1.46 [0.98, 2.19] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 5 studies · 209 participants |
| Individuals with periodontitis vs periodontally healthy controls | Periodontitis (exposure) | Periodontally healthy controls | Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva Cross-sectional (single time point) · Stimulated whole saliva · Chronic periodontitis (CP) studies | ROM 2.06 [1.13, 3.74] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 3 studies · 176 participants |
| Individuals with periodontitis | Mechanical periodontal treatment | Lactoferrin levels before treatment (pre-post) | Lactoferrin level in saliva and/or gingival crevicular fluid after treatment 2 to 4 weeks after non-surgical treatment · Not specified | A reduction in LF levels was observed across different sample types 2-4 weeks after non-surgical periodontal treatment, although the effect size could not be calculated Low Downgraded: risk of bias, indirectness 6 studies |
Included primary studies 33
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glimvall 2012 Elevated levels of salivary lactoferrin, a marker for chronic periodontitis? PMID:22471324 | 2012 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ramenzoni 2021 (1) Origin of MMP-8 and Lactoferrin levels from gingival crevicular fluid, salivary glands and whole saliva. PMID:34353321 | 2021 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ramenzoni 2021 (saliva, ref 57) Oral Diagnostic Methods for the Detection of Periodontal Disease. PMID:33810094 | 2021 | 1 other review | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva; Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Tsai 1998 Gingival crevicular fluid lactoferrin levels in adult periodontitis patients. PMID:9583225 | 1998 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wei 2004 The investigation of glutathione peroxidase, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase and interleukin-1beta in gingival crevicular fluid: implications… PMID:15324348 | 2004 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wu 2009 Initial comparison of proteomic profiles of whole unstimulated saliva obtained from generalized aggressive periodontitis patients and… PMID:19453860 | 2009 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yadav 2014 Effect of periodontal therapy on lactoferrin levels in gingival crevicular fluid. PMID:24913177 | 2014 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Arab 2024 Association between the concentration of salivary lactoferrin, smoking, and periodontal disease parameters: A randomized observational study DOI:10.4103/sjoralsci.sjoralsci_35_24 | 2024 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ayettey-Adamafio 2025 Determination of Salivary Lactoferrin Levels Before and After Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment in Patients with Aggressive Periodontitis DOI:10.60014/pmjg.v14i1.390 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Fine 2013 Can salivary activity predict periodontal breakdown in A. actinomycetemcomitans infected adolescents? DOI:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.10.009 | 2013 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Fine 2013 Can salivary activity predict periodontal breakdown in A. actinomycetemcomitans infected adolescents? PMID:23219180 | 2013 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Friedman 1983 Lysozyme and Lactoferrin Quantitation in the Crevicular Fluid DOI:10.1902/jop.1983.54.6.347 | 1983 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Friedman 1983 Lysozyme and lactoferrin quantitation in the crevicular fluid. PMID:6348246 | 1983 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Glimvall 2012 Elevated levels of salivary lactoferrin, a marker for chronic periodontitis? DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0765.2012.01479.x | 2012 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Groenink 1999 Salivary lactoferrin and low‐<i>M</i><sub>r</sub> mucin MG2 in <i>Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans</i>‐associated periodontitis DOI:10.1034/j.1600-051x.1999.260501.x | 1999 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Groenink 1999 Salivary lactoferrin and low-Mr mucin MG2 in Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-associated periodontitis. PMID:10355615 | 1999 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Jentsch 2004 Lactoferrin and other markers from gingival crevicular fluid and saliva before and after periodontal treatment DOI:10.1111/j.1600-051x.2004.00512.x | 2004 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Jentsch 2004 Lactoferrin and other markers from gingival crevicular fluid and saliva before and after periodontal treatment. PMID:15191585 | 2004 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kivadasannavar 2014 Estimation of lactoferrin levels in gingival crevicular fluid before and after periodontal therapy in patients with chronic periodontitis. PMID:24808691 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lee 2018 The potential of salivary biomarkers for predicting the sensitivity and monitoring the response to nonsurgical periodontal therapy: A… DOI:10.1111/jre.12544 | 2018 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Lee 2018 The potential of salivary biomarkers for predicting the sensitivity and monitoring the response to nonsurgical periodontal therapy: A… PMID:29882262 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lourenco 2013 Lactoferrin, A Marker for Periodontal Disease DOI:10.2174/1570162x11311030006 | 2013 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Lourenco 2013 Lactoferrin, a marker for periodontal disease. PMID:23432422 | 2013 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Orhue 2022 Salivary Lactoferrin Levels, Disease Severity and Correlates in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis Presenting to a Tertiary Health… DOI:10.4314/njdr.v7i1.8 | 2022 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in stimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Ramenzoni 2021 (GCF, ref 56) Origin of MMP-8 and Lactoferrin levels from gingival crevicular fluid, salivary glands and whole saliva DOI:10.1186/s12903-021-01743-5 | 2021 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in gingival crevicular fluid | not extracted yet |
| Suomalainen 1996 Peroxidases, Iactoferrin and lysozyme in peripheral blood neutrophils, gingival crevicular fluid and whole saliva of patients with… DOI:10.1111/j.1601-0825.1996.tb00213.x | 1996 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Suomalainen 1996 Peroxidases, lactoferrin and lysozyme in peripheral blood neutrophils, gingival crevicular fluid and whole saliva of patients with… PMID:8957925 | 1996 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Tsai 1998 Gingival crevicular fluid lactoferrin levels in adult per iodontitis patients DOI:10.1111/j.1834-7819.1998.tb00151.x | 1998 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in gingival crevicular fluid | not extracted yet |
| Wei 2004 The investigation of glutathione peroxidase, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase and interleukin‐1β in gingival crevicular fluid: implications… DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0765.2004.00744.x | 2004 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wu 2009 Initial comparison of proteomic profiles of whole unstimulated saliva obtained from generalized aggressive periodontitis patients and… DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0765.2008.01172.x | 2009 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Wu 2018 Salivary biomarker combination prediction model for the diagnosis of periodontitis in a Taiwanese population DOI:10.1016/j.jfma.2017.10.004 | 2018 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in unstimulated saliva | not extracted yet |
| Wu 2018 Salivary biomarker combination prediction model for the diagnosis of periodontitis in a Taiwanese population. PMID:29129647 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yadav 2014 Effect of periodontal therapy on lactoferrin levels in gingival crevicular fluid DOI:10.1111/adj.12203 | 2014 | this review only | Lactoferrin level in gingival crevicular fluid | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Humans with clinically diagnosed periodontal disease and periodontally healthy controls (case-control); humans with periodontal disease before and after mechanical periodontal treatment. Gingivitis excluded. | Periodontitis cases (373 CP and 79 AgP/JLP in case-control studies) and healthy controls; patients with CP, LJP or AgP treated mechanically (n=19 studies) |
| Intervention | Periodontitis (exposure); mechanical periodontal treatment | Periodontitis (16 case-control studies); non-surgical mechanical periodontal therapy including scaling and root planing, with surgery in one study (6 studies) |
| Comparison | Periodontally healthy controls; pre-treatment lactoferrin levels | Periodontally healthy controls; pre-treatment baseline |
| Outcomes | Lactoferrin levels in saliva (unstimulated, stimulated) and/or gingival crevicular fluid | Lactoferrin in unstimulated saliva (7 studies), stimulated saliva (7 studies), GCF (6 studies); 11 studies in meta-analysis (ratio of means) |
| Study designs | Case-control studies; longitudinal pre-post intervention studies; no date restriction | 19 studies: 16 case-control (14 ELISA) and 6 non-randomized pre-post intervention studies (3 overlap) |
| Timing | Not specified | Post-treatment sampling 2 to 4 weeks after therapy |