Furthermore, a rank-sum test identified significant differences for 18 genes—ZBP1, STING1, AIM2, SAMHD1, CASP6, PYCARD, NLRP3, DNM1L, NINJ1, MAPK1, TNF, CASP8, NFS1, RIPK3, MAPK3, CASP1, XAF1, and CDK1—between periodontitis and healthy control samples (P < 0.05; Figure 2B). Here, AIM2 is linked to periodontitis.