The mean level of α7nAChR mRNA expression was elevated in the tissue of 17 patients with periodontal disease when compared with 9 control tissue samples (periodontal disease 2−ΔCT = 0.46 vs healthy 2−ΔCT = 0.24, P = 0.017, Fig. 1). Here, CHRNA7 is linked to periodontal disorder.