Salivary Mitofusin-1 Levels in Periodontitis: Associations With Disease Severity, Smoking, and Treatment Response

Inclusion Criteria

• •Willing and able to provide written informed consent.
• •Systemically healthy (no history of diabetes mellitus, immunodeficiency, malignancy, or other systemic conditions that could affect periodontal status).
• •Have a minimum of 20 natural teeth (excluding third molars).
• •No antibiotic therapy or periodontal treatment in the last 6 months.
• •For Healthy Control Group:
• •No clinical attachment loss. Probing depth ≤ 3 mm. No radiographic evidence of bone loss. Low gingival and plaque index scores.
• •For Mild Periodontitis Group:
• •Diagnosed with Stage I or II periodontitis according to the 2018 AAP/EFP classification.
• •Clinical attachment loss of 1-4 mm. Radiographic bone loss of ≤15-33%. Non-smoker.
• •For Severe Periodontitis Group:
• •Diagnosed with Stage III or IV periodontitis according to the 2018 AAP/EFP classification.
• •Clinical attachment loss ≥ 5 mm. Radiographic bone loss to the mid-advanced level of the root. Non-smoker.
• •For Severe Periodontitis with Smoking Group:
• •Meets all criteria for the Severe Periodontitis Group. Regular smoker (at least 10 cigarettes per day for a minimum of 5 years).