Salivary Lactoferrin as a Biomarker for Periodontal Disease: A Systematic Review

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies, published up to January 2026, investigating salivary lactoferrin as a biomarker for periodontal disease. The work, authored by Hoda Tayebi-Hillali, reports elevated lactoferrin levels in individuals with periodontal disease and a decrease following mechanical treatment. The dataset is a 18.4 KB document summarizing the review's methods, results, and conclusions.

Use Cases

• Benchmarking salivary lactoferrin levels for periodontal disease based on the reported Ratio of Means (ROM) values.
• Designing studies on biomarker standardization based on the noted methodological heterogeneity.
• Evaluating the diagnostic potential of gingival crevicular fluid versus saliva based on the stratified meta-analysis results.

Strengths

• Includes a meta-analysis of 11 studies with specific effect size estimates (e.g., ROM=1.77 in unstimulated saliva).
• Systematic review methodology is documented, including a registered protocol (CRD420251017848) and use of GRADE for evidence certainty.
• Stratified results are provided for different sample types (unstimulated saliva, stimulated saliva, gingival crevicular fluid).

Limitations

• The dataset is a summary document (18.4 KB); the underlying primary data from the 19 reviewed studies is not included.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Meta-analysis of intervention studies was not feasible due to inconsistent protocols and reporting, limiting conclusions on treatment effects.

Provenance

Source

Hoda Tayebi-Hillali

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from five databases without time restrictions.

Time Range

Studies reviewed up to January 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-22 05:52:05; freshness should be verified.