Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most common infectious diseases prevalent in the oral cavity, andit is an inflammatory disease with a multi-factor etiology. IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-? are two types of cytokinesthat are major mediators of acute inflammation, and are necessary for the development of specific immuneresponses.Objective: The present study aimed to assess the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6,IL-8,andTNF-?) in the saliva of smokers with dental caries and the control (non-smokers) according to different age,BMI,and sex.Materials and Method: Whole saliva from 32 smokers aged 35-46 years with dental caries and 16 healthysubjects, to measure IL-6,IL-8, and TNF-a levels by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA).Results: The mean BMI, age, and sex between the experimental group and the control group were similar,were not statistically significant (p=0.466, p=0.240, p=0.455), respectively while, there were a significantdifference in CRP between the two groups (p=0.037).Concentrations of salivary IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-? werenot affected by periodontal health. No statistically significant difference in periodontal health, assessed byCPITN, were observed between the groups (p=0.413). Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantlyhigher in smokers with dental caries compared with control (p<0.05).Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-8were increased significantly in smokers with dental caries compared with control (p<0.05). No significantdifferences in salivary TNF-? in dental caries patients compared to control (p=0.063). The correlationbetween TNF-a, CRP, age, sex, and BMI with IL-8 were positive and statistically significant(p=0.01,p=0.036, p=0.009, p=0.007, and p=0.005), respectively. There was no significant correlation between IL-6and TNF-a cytokines and other parameters, except for a positive association with CRP levels (p=0.006,p=0.043), respectively.Conclusions: These data indicate links between production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a),interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-8 (IL-8)in smokers’ saliva and dental caries disease. Also,the existenceof a statistically significant positive correlation between TNF-a,age, gender, and BMI with IL-8.
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