Comparison of Salivary Malondialdehyde (MDA) Levels in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis and Healthy Cases

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the periodontal ligament caused by microorganisms, which leads to progressive and irreversible damages to the periodontal ligament and the alveolar bone. The main causative agent of this disease is bacterial plaque; however, other factors such as environmental factors, genetics, and immune disease might be at play. Lipid peroxidation is a major consequence of oxidative stress, which in turn, elevates malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Herein, we aimed to compare the salivary MDA levels of patients with chronic periodontitis and normal subjects.
Thirty chronic periodontitis patients, referred to the Department of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and 30 periodontally healthy controls were included in the study. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected by spitting method from both groups. Salivary MDA level was measured using a spectrophotometric assay by colorimetric method. The data were analyzed performing independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square.
Salivary MDA levels were significantly higher in the patients with chronic periodontitis compared to the healthy controls (P The results indicated that salivary MDA level can be used as a suitable biomarker for predicting and diagnosing periodontal disease and may play an important role in periodontitis pathology.