INTERLEUKIN-1 GENE POLYMORPHISMS AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PERIODONTITIS ACROSS ETHNICITIES AND POPULATIONS: A LITERATURE REVIEW.

Periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease of the tooth-supporting tissues caused by dental biofilm and mediated by the host immune response. Interleukin-1 is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in periodontal inflammation, connective tissue breakdown, and disease progression. Beyond microbial and environmental factors, genetic polymorphisms affecting interleukin-1 activity contribute to interindividual variability in disease susceptibility, progression, and treatment response. This review examines the association between interleukin-1 gene polymorphisms and periodontitis risk across different populations, ethnic groups, clinical conditions and demographics. Data were retrieved from the PubMed database, covering publications from 2007 to 2024, using the following search strategy: ("periodontitis" OR "periodontal disease") AND ("interleukin-1" OR "IL-1") AND "polymorphism". Only human studies investigating the association between interleukin-1 polymorphisms and susceptibility to periodontal diseases were selected. Exclusion criteria included animal studies, meta-analyses and review articles. Although results are sometimes conflicting, most studies identify interleukin-1 polymorphisms as significant genetic risk factors for periodontal diseases, suggesting-at least to some extent-shared genetic susceptibility across populations or among different ethnic groups within a given population. Understanding population- and ethnicity-related genetic influences may improve risk assessment, enable early identification of susceptibility, and support the development of personalized preventive and therapeutic strategies.