Abstract
Aim: To determine the relationship between the chemical composition of saliva, periodontal disease and dental calculus. Methods: An observational analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with patients over 55 years of age. Ethical principles of autonomy and risk protection were applied according to the international standards. Sociodemographic and diagnosis variables (presence of dental calculus and periodontal status) were considered to measure salivary concentrations of glucose (by the glucose oxidase/peroxidase method, amylase (by the colorimetric test), urea (by the amount of indophenol), total protein (by the Bradford method) and albumin (by the nephelometric method). Patients chewed a sterile rubber band and 3 mL of stimulated saliva were collected. The samples were stored at -5 °C, centrifuged at 2,800 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatant was removed and stored at -20 °C. Data were presented as frequencies and proportions for qualitative variables and measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables. Data were analyzed by either analysis of variance or Kruskal Wallis test . A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Significant relationships were observed between the concentration of salivary urea and periodontal status (p = 0.03) and the presence of dental calculus and urea (p = 0.04) was demonstrated. Conclusions: A relationship between the salivary urea concentration and the presence of periodontal disease and dental calculus is suggested.
Highlights
Received for publication: April 07, 2015 Accepted: June 17, 2015Correspondence to: Anne Alejandra Hernández CastañedaUniversidad Santo Tomás Carrera 18 N 9-27 ColombiaBraz J Oral Sci. 14(2)[159-165]Saliva is an important biological fluid in oral physiology[1]
The mean age of periodontal status in advanced periodontitis was 70.8±14.4 years (Figure 1.A) and according to their procedence; urban individuals had a higher participation with 60% in gingivitis and 40% of incipient periodontitis (Figure 1.B)
Protein concentration is considered a biomarker for periodontal disease, since plasma protein leakage occurs as a result of the inflammatory process, which raises the concentration of total proteins in saliva
Summary
Saliva is an important biological fluid in oral physiology[1]. The reduction of salivary secretion or changes in the properties of the saliva are responsible for a lot of dental and oral problems, such as cavities or periodontal disease, as they remain major diseases, with a direct impact on the quality of life of patients affected by them[2,3,4]. Salivary amylase involved in digestion of starches acts as a buffer to protect oral pharyngeal and esophageal mucosae from ingested acids. Saliva protects the teeth against acid by its bicarbonate as buffer and urea[5]. Drugs like cyclic antidepressants and others could affect the levels of salivary amylase, total proteins and urea[6,7]
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