Introduction: Salivary matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an established diagnostic biomarker for detection and prognosis of oral cancer. Objectives: The current study aimed to estimate salivary MMP-9 in oral leukoplakia and oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), which are considered as oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Material and methods: A comparative observational study of 60 subjects was conducted, including 20 patients diagnosed with OSMF (group A, n = 20), 20 diagnosed with oral leukoplakia (group B, n = 20), and 20 as healthy controls (group C, n = 20) according to standard criteria. Unstimulated salivary samples were collected for evaluation of MMP-9 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was applied for comparison of groups. Bonferroni-adjusted one-way ANOVA test was performed for intra-group comparison. Results: Descriptive statistics of the data revealed that mean age of study participants in group A, group B, and group C were 50.30 ± 9.96 years, 46.70 ± 12.59 years, and 33.30 ± 4.70 years, respectively. Mean salivary MMP-9 level in OSMF, oral leukoplakia, and control group were 9.42 ng/ml, 10.59 ng/ml, and 2.96 ng/ml, respectively, with a p-value < 0.001 between OSMF and oral leukoplakia when compared with controls. Conclusions: A significant difference was noted in salivary MMP-9 levels among patients with OPMD's compared to controls. A slightly higher value of MMP-9 was observed in oral leukoplakia. Estimation of salivary MMP-9 level is a non-invasive and a reliable biomarker in diagnosis of OPMD's and in accessing their malignant transformation.

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Background: The root canal treatment is one of the common dental or endodontic therapies associated with high levels of patient anxiety. Yoga therapy (YT) is reported in medical literature as an effective modality in bringing down anxiety in clinical scenarios; however, the reports of the same for dental settings are fewer. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of YT on biopsychosocial parameters in patients undergoing root canal therapy. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 50 participants who underwent dental root canal therapy. The sample was divided into two groups: Yoga group (Group A; n = 25) who received YT and control group (Group B; n = 25) who were subjected to self-relaxation during dental procedure. The state of anxiety was measured by a 5-point single-item Likert scale and the cardiovascular (CV) parameters (systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP], heart rate [HR]) and CV indices (pulse pressure [PP], mean arterial pressure [MAP], rate-pressure product [RPP], and double product [DoP]) were derived and compared between both the groups. Results: The intergroup comparison showed statistically significant differences in anxiety score ( P < 0.001), SBP ( P < 0.001), MAP ( P < 0.001), RPP ( P < 0.001), DoP ( P < 0.001), HR ( P < 0.029), DBP ( P < 0.003), and PP ( P < 0.116). Conclusion: A significant reduction was recorded in terms of anxiety and primary and derived CV parameters in the yoga group. The YT can be adopted as an interventional tool for anxiety management in patients indicated for dental root canal therapy.