Introduction. Inflammation of the gingiva and of its supporting tissues stimulates infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells, which are responsible for oxidative reactions and produce proteolytic enzymes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals. The inequity between the production of free radicals and antioxidant mechanisms provoke oxidative stress which can further induce periodontal destruction. Aim. To assess salivary and serum TAC and MDA induced oxidative stress in patients with chronic periodontitis. Materials and methods. A total of 58 subjects participated for the assessment of salivary and serum TAC (Total antioxidant capacity) and MDA (Malondialdehyde), divided equally into 2 groups, twenty-nine being cases and twenty – controls. For the study, unstimulated whole saliva and blood samples were collected from twenty-nine patients with chronic periodontitis (cases) and twenty-nine healthy (controls) subjects from the age group of 30–50 years. The spectrophotometric assay was used to calculate total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde levels in saliva and serum. The Social Package for Statistical System- SPSS-23.0 version (IBM; Chicago) was used to analyze the data, the t-test was applied, values being expressed as mean and standard deviation. A P value below 0.05 is considered significant. Results and discussion. This case-control study was conducted among 58 subjects, of whom 29 were cases and 29 – control. All 58 participants were aged 30-50 years. The reported total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of saliva was 0.149±0.026 and 0.201±0.354, respectively, while in the controls group it was 0.319±0.026 and 0.374±0.020, with a statistically significant p -value. Similarly, a statistically significant p value (0.001) was found for salivary and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in both groups. Conclusions. This study offers data about patients with periodontitis exhibiting a low salivary total antioxidant capacity, compared with a healthy control group. The oxidative stress was also high in periodontitis subjects with amplified MDA levels in comparison with healthy individuals.
Keywords:- antioxidants
- malondialdehyde
- periodontitis
- saliva
- serum