| Summary: |
Aim: This study evaluated possible effects of smoking and gingival inflammation on
salivary antioxidants in gingivitis patients.
Methods: Twenty otherwise healthy gingivitis patients (10 self-reported smokers)
and 20 periodontally and systemically healthy volunteer subjects were enrolled in the
study. Whole saliva samples and full-mouth clinical periodontal recordings were
obtained at baseline and one month following initial phase of treatment in gingivitis
patients. Salivary cotinine, glutathione and ascorbic acid concentrations, and total
antioxidant capacity were determined, and the data generated were tested by nonparametric
tests.
Results: Salivary cotinine measurements resulted in re-classification of three selfreported
non-smokers as smokers. Smoker patients revealed significantly higher
probing depths but lower bleeding values than non-smoker patients (p50.044 and
0.001, respectively). Significant reductions in clinical recordings were obtained in nonsmoker
(all po0.05) and smoker (all po0.01) patients following periodontal
treatment. Salivary total glutathione concentrations were reduced following therapy in
gingivitis patients who smoke (po0.01). Otherwise, no statistically significant
differences were found between the groups in biochemical parameters at baseline or
following treatment (p40.05).
Conclusions: Within the limits of this study, neither smoking nor gingival
inflammation compromised the antioxidant capacity of saliva in systemically healthy
gingivitis patients.
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