Genetic variants of amelogenin and non-amelogenin genes and its association with dental caries

Dental caries is a permanent and infectious chronic disease that breakdowns a tooth in hard tissue. Dental caries is multifactorial, determined by three known factors: host, agent, and environment. The host factor is the enamel itself which is influenced directly by genetic factors. Genes play an important role in the genetic factors, with no exception for contributing to dental caries. Genes involved in the latter are amelogenin and non-amelogenin genes, compositions of matrix protein secreted by ameloblast and functioning as enamel growth. The protein-encoding gene for amelogenin is amelogenin X (AMELX), whereas protein-encoding genes for non-amelogenin are ameloblastin (AMBN) and enamelin (ENAM). The presence of these three genes in polymorphisms or genetic variants will indirectly affect the susceptibility of the host to have dental caries in the outcome. This narrative review objective is to determine the association between polymorphisms of amelogenin (AMELX) and non-amelogenin (AMBN and ENAM) genes and dental caries.