Abstract: PURPOSE: To investigate the predictive value of microRNA-146a-5p (miR-146a-5p), phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (Akt) in gingival crevicular fluid for the severity of chronic periodontitis (CP). METHODS: A total of 121 CP patients admitted to Qinhuangdao Hospital of Peking University Third Hospital from March 2021 to March 2024 were selected. According to the severity of the disease, the patients were divided into mild-to-moderate group(n=85) and severe group(n=36). The levels of miR-146a-5p, PI3K and Akt in gingival crevicular fluid were detected, and probing depth(PD), clinical attachment loss(CAL), sulcus bleeding index(SBI) were collected to analyze the factors affecting the severity of CP. Area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of miR-146a-5p, PI3K and Akt in CP severity. RESULTS: The miR-146a-5p, PI3K, Akt, probing depth(PD), the level of clinical attachment loss (CAL), the ratio of combined diabetes and the smoking history in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the mild-moderate group(P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes mellitus(OR=3.252, 95%CI: 1.312-8.059), miR-146a-5p level(OR=5.273, 95%CI: 2.469-11.258), PI3K level (OR=4.877, 95%CI: 1.812-13.123) and Akt level (OR=4.421, 95%CI: 1.669-11.710) were independent risk factors affecting the severity of the disease(P<0.05). ROC results showed that the AUC of miR-146a-5p, PI3K, Akt and their combined prediction of CP severity were 0.801, 0.789, 0.772 and 0.898, respectively(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The levels of miR-146a-5p, PI3K and Akt in gingival crevicular fluid are independent risk factors for CP severity, and combined detection of the three parameters can better predict the severity of patients' disease.

Key words: Chronic periodontitis, Microrna-146a-5p, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Protein kinase B, Severity of illness, Influencing factors, Predictive value