No abstract

Background: Periodontal diseases are one of the most common chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases in the world that can be diagnosed by clinical, radiographic signs and some biomarkers. Saliva contains locally and systemically derived markers that can aid in the diagnosis of periodontal diseases. The aim of the present study was designed to evaluate salivary total protein levels in patients with chronic gingivitis and chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Five milliliters of unstimulated whole saliva samples was collected from a total of 113 individuals; each of the healthy and chronic gingivitis groups was included 39 participants and 35 patients in the chronic periodontitis group. Salivary total protein levels, gingival index (GI), papillary bleeding index (PBI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level were recorded in the respective groups. Salivary protein estimation was done by direct ultraviolet absorption method, and determination was based on biuret method. Results: The mean salivary total protein levels in the healthy, chronic gingivitis, and chronic periodontitis groups were 1.52, 2.58, and 6.30 g/dl, respectively. The salivary total protein levels of gingivitis and periodontitis patients were 1.6 and 4.2 times higher than healthy controls, which were statistically significant (P < 0.001). In addition, GI (r = 0.476) and PBI (r = 0.490) were significantly correlated with protein levels in gingivitis patients. However, PPD was significantly correlated with protein contents in only periodontitis patients (r = 0.387). Conclusions: Increased total protein levels are related to the severity of periodontal diseases, and it may serve as a biomarker in inflammation of the periodontium.