Elevated Salivary Theobromine and Long-Term Improvement of Periodontal Health in Two Cohort Studies.

BACKGROUND

Theobromine, a methylxanthine mainly found in chocolate, has been suggested to possess various health-promoting properties. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effect of salivary theobromine levels on periodontitis severity using 7- and 10-year follow-up data from the prospective Studies of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND and SHIP-START).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We conducted a non-targeted metabolomics analysis of salivary methylxanthines in 679 participants from SHIP-TREND and 953 participants from SHIP-START. Inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted generalised linear models were used to assess the relationship between salivary theobromine and periodontal variables, including bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment loss.

RESULTS

Higher salivary theobromine levels were significantly associated with improved periodontal health, as evidenced by lower mean probing depth and a reduced percentage of sites with probing depth ≥ 3 mm. The results were successfully replicated in the SHIP-START data and extended to a lower clinical attachment loss.

DISCUSSION: Our cohort studies suggest that elevated salivary theobromine levels are associated with improved periodontal parameters over 7 and 10 years. These results indicate the potential for theobromine-containing products to support periodontal health, warranting further investigation through randomised controlled trials.