Association of Anti–<i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i> Antibody Titers With Nonsmoking Status in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From the Prospective French Cohort of Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

In this large early RA cohort, we did not detect any association of anti-P gingivalis antibodies with RA or with ACPA status. These results suggest that the association of periodontitis and RA could be linked to bacterial species other than P gingivalis or to a mechanism other than citrullination. Nevertheless, we found higher anti-P gingivalis antibody titers in nonsmokers. In addition, in this population of nonsmokers, high anti-P gingivalis antibody titers were associated with more severe disease. We hypothesize that the role of tobacco in RA pathogenesis is so high that the effect of P gingivalis could be revealed only in a population not exposed to tobacco.