Association of AB0 blood groups, secretor status, and rhesus factor with susceptibility to periondontitis and dental caries: results of an analysis of modern research

   Background. Periodontitis and caries are diseases associated with multiple factors, in which genetic predisposition plays a significant role. AB0 blood groups and secretor status are considered potential markers, but data on their correlation with dental and periodontal diseases are contradictory.

   Objective. To conduct a detailed analysis of existing scientific data on the correlation between AB0 blood groups, secretor status, Rhesus factor, and various manifestations of periodontitis and caries.

   Materials and methods. To prepare the review, a search and analysis of scientific publications was conducted in the PubMed, eLibrary, CyberLeninka, and Google Scholar databases for the period from 1971 to 2025. The analysis included 30 studies devoted to the study of the relationship between ABO blood groups, secretory status, and Rh factor with the prevalence, severity, and pathogenetic mechanisms of periodontitis and caries.

   Results. It was found that the nature of the correlation depends on the type of disease and the characteristics of the population studied. Thus, chronic periodontitis is more likely to occur in people with blood type 0 (0), while aggressive periodontitis is more common in people with blood types A and B. In addition to the above data, AB0 secretor status must be taken into account. Due to the presence of AB0 secretor status, the concentration of cariogenic bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) in the oral cavity is 20-30 % lower. However, a similar relationship is not observed for periodontitis; however, the studies reviewed confirmed that the Rh factor of the blood type influences the likelihood of developing this disease.

   Conclusion. AB0 blood groups and secretory status are significant genetic factors in dental and periodontal diseases, but their influence depends on many factors, including ethnicity, immunology, microbiology, and others. This study demonstrated that blood group membership and AB0 secretory status must be considered when choosing a treatment method.

1. Papapanou PN, Sanz M, Buduneli N, et al. Periodontitis: Consensus report of work-group 2 of the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions. J Periodontol. 2018;89 Suppl 1:S173–S182. DOI: 10.1002/JPER.17-0721.

2. Kinane DF, Stathopoulou PG, Papapanou PN. Periodontal diseases. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17038. DOI: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.38.

3. Watkins WM. The AB0 blood group system: historical background. Transfus Med. 2001;11(4):243–265. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3148.2001.00319.x.

4. Anstee DJ. The relationship between blood groups and disease. Blood. 2010;115(23):4635–4643. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2010-01-261859.

5. Cooling L. Blood Groups in Infection and Host Susceptibility. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2015;28(3):801–870. DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00109-14.

6. Pradhan AC, Chawla TN, Samuel KC, Pradhan S. The relationship between periodontal disease and blood groups and secretor status. J Periodontal Res. 1971;6(4):294–300. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.1971.tb00621.x.

7. Demir T, Tezel A, Orbak R, Eltas A, Kara C, Kavrut F. The Effect of ABO Blood Types on Periodontal Status. Eur J Dent. 2007;1(3):139–143.

8. Koregol AC, Raghavendra M, Nainegali S, Kalburgi N, Varma S. ABO blood groups and Rhesus factor: An exploring link to periodontal diseases. Indian J Dent Res. 2010;21(3):364–368. DOI: 10.4103/0970-9290.70806.

9. Vivek S, Jain J, Simon SP, Battur H, Supreetha S, Haridas R. Association of ABO Blood Group and Rh factor with Periodontal Disease in a Population of Virajpet, Karnataka: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Int Oral Health. 2013;5(4):30–34.

10. Mostafa D, Elkhatat EI, Koppolu P, Mahgoub M, Dhaifullah E, Hassan AH. Correlation of ABO Blood Groups and Rh Factor with The Severity of Generalized Chronic Periodontitis: A Cross Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2019;7(4):617–622. DOI: 10.3889/oamjms.2019.121.

11. Pai GP, Dayakar MM, Shaila M, Dayakar A. Correlation between «ABO» blood group phenotypes and periodontal disease: Prevalence in south Kanara district, Karnataka state, India. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2012;16(4):519–523. DOI: 10.4103/0972-124X.106891.

12. Kundu D, Bandyopadhyay P, Nair V, Chowdhury M, Mukherjee S, Nayek M. Aggressive periodontitis: A clinico-hematological appraisal. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2014;18(2):166–171. DOI: 10.4103/0972-124X.131317

13. Al-Askar M. Is there an association between ABO blood grouping and periodontal disease? A literature review. Interv Med Appl Sci. 2017;9(3):164–167. DOI: 10.1556/1646.9.2017.3.22

14. Al-Askar M, AlMoharib HS, Alageely R, Talakey AA, Alzoman H, Alshihri A. The Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and ABO Blood Groups: A Cross-Sectional Study. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2021;19:295–300. DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.b1451755.

15. Durge KJ, Patil RT, Oza RR, Dhadse PV, Salian SS. Correlation Between ABO Blood Grouping and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) in Periodontal Diseases. Cureus. 2024;16(7):e65815. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.65815.

16. Enevold C, Nielsen CH, Molbo D, Lund R, Bendixen K, Fiehn NE, Holmstrup P. Lewis and AB0 blood group phenotypes in periodontitis, cardiovascular disease, obesity and stroke. Sci Rep. 2019;9:6283. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42625-z.

17. Alabsi RAM, Sandeepa NC, Miéfer RT, Alraqdi MM, Hamdi MIM. Correlation between Post-COVID-19, Chemosensitive Function, Blood Group, and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life. Int J Dent. 2022;2022:8715777. DOI: 10.1155/2022/8715777.

18. Khan MA, Sultana S, Ahmed S, et al. Association of ABO phenotype, rhesus factor, platelet count and hemoglobin level with oral hygiene status and severity of chronic periodontitis. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2024;14(6):730–734. DOI: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2024.08.012.

19. Safiullin A.A. Epidemiologicheskie aspekty osnovnykh stomatologicheskikh zabolevaniy v Chelyabinskoy oblasti : monografiya [Epidemiological aspects of major dental diseases in the Chelyabinsk region : a monograph]. Moscow: Publishing House of the Academy of Natural Sciences; 2016. (In Russ.)

20. Kárpáti K, Braunitzer G, Toldi J, Turzó K, Virág K, Reiche WT, Rakonczay Z, Nagy K. Caries and ABO secretor status in a Hungarian population of children and adolescents: an exploratory study. Caries Res. 2014;48(3):179–185. DOI: 10.1159/000355612.

21. Arneberg P, Kornstad L, Nordbö H, Gjermo P. Less dental caries among secretors than among non-secretors of blood group substance. Scand J Dent Res. 1976;84(6):362–366. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.1976.tb00501.x.

22. Tabasum ST, Nayak RP. Salivary blood group antigens and microbial flora. Int J Dent Hygiene. 2011;9(2):117–121. DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2010.00453.x.

23. Lie MA, Van der Weijden GA, Timmerman MF, Abbas F, De Graaff J, Henskens YMC. Relationship between salivary blood group antigens, microbial flora and periodontal condition in young adults. J Clin Periodontol. 1994;21(3):171–176. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-051x.1994.tb00299.x.

24. Hardman PK, Hardman JT. Salivary ABO antibodies and periodontal disease. J Periodontol. 1983;54(6):351–353. DOI: 10.1902/jop.1983.54.6.351.

25. Demir T, Uslu H, Orbak R, Altoparlak U, Ayyildiz A. Effects of different blood groups on the reproduction of periodontal pocket bacteria. Int Dent J. 2009;59:83–86.

26. Gil’Miiarova F.N., Radomskaya V.M., Gil’Miiarov E.M., Zubova I.A., Ryskina E.A., Epifanova A.A. Phenotype characteristics of humoral immunity parameters in patients with chronic generalized periodontitis with different blood groups. Biomeditsinskaia Khimiia. 2011;57(6):650–656. DOI: 10.18097/PBMC20115706650 (In Russ.)

27. Selezneva I.A., Gil’miiarova F.N., Borodina I.A., Ereshchenko A.A., Gil’miiarov E.M., Kartashov V.V. Clinical and molecular indicators of inflammatory and destructive lesions of the oral cavity in periodontitis in individuals with different blood groups. Klin Lab Diagn. 2020;65(2):100–105. DOI: 10.18821/0869-2084-2020-65-2-100-105 (In Russ.)

28. Gil’miiarova F.N., Kolot’eva N.A., Kuz’micheva V.I., Gusyakova O.A., Borodina I.A., Baisheva G.M., Selezneva I.A. Blood groups and human diseases (review). Klin Lab Diagn. 2020;65(4):216–221. DOI: 10.18821/0869-2084-2020-65-4-216-221 (In Russ.)

29. Singh A, Purohit BM. ABO Blood Groups and Its Association with Oral Cancer, Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Submucous Fibrosis – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2021;22(6):1703–1712. DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2021.22.6.1703.

30. Zhiburt EB, Kuzmin NS, Madzaev SR, Pokhabov DS, Shestakov EA, Shalygin LD, Khamitov RG. Antigeny grupp krovi i risk razvitiya razlichnykh zabolevaniy [Blood group antigens and the risk of various diseases]. Spravochnik zaveduyushchego KDL (Praktikum spetsialista). 2025;(2):61–72. (In Russ.)