Objective: To prioritize genes that were pleiotropically or potentially causally associated with periodontitis .

Methods: We applied the summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) method integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) for periodontitis and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data to identify genes that were pleiotropically associated with periodontitis . We performed separate SMR analysis using CAGE eQTL data and GTEx eQTL data . SMR analysis were done for participants of European and Asian ancestries, separately .

Results: We identified multiple genes showing pleiotropic association with periodontitis in participants of European ancestry and participants of Asian ancestry. PDCD2 (corresponding probe: ILMN_1758915) was the top hit showing pleotropic association with periodontitis in participants of European ancestry, and BX093763 (corresponding probe: ILMN_1899903) and AC104135.3 (corresponding probe: ENSG00000204792.2) were the top hist in participants of Asian ancestry using CAGE eQTL data and GTEx eQTL data, respectively . Conclusion: We identified multiple genes that may be involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis in participants of European ancestry and participants of Asian ancestry. Our findings provided important leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying periodontitis and revealed potential therapeutic targets for the effective treatment of periodontitis.