Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most common infectious diseases prevalent in the oral cavity, and it is an inflammatory disease with a multi-factor etiology. IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α are two types of cytokines that are major mediators of acute inflammation, and are necessary for the development of specific immune responses.Objective: The present study aimed to assess the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6,IL-8,and TNF-α) 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 healthy subjects, 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 significant difference in CRP between the two groups (p=0.037).Concentrations of salivary IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were not affected by periodontal health. No statistically significant difference in periodontal health, assessed by CPITN, were observed between the groups (p=0.413). Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in smokers with dental caries compared with control (p<0.05).Salivary levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were increased significantly in smokers with dental caries compared with control (p<0.05). No significant differences in salivary TNF-α in dental caries patients compared to control (p=0.063). The correlation between 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. Th ere was no significant correlation between IL-6 and 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 existence of a statistically significant positive correlation between TNF-a,age, gender, and BMI with IL-8.