Salivary Sodium and Potassium Concentrations in Patients with Fixed Orthodontic Appliances

 This study was aimed to assess salivary sodium and potassium concentrations in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances.

 In this case-control study, saliva samples (5 cc) were collected from 13 patients with fixed orthodontic appliances before, and 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after the beginning of the orthodontic treatment using the spitting method. Saliva samples were also collected from 10 healthy individuals as controls. The saliva samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes and the salivary sodium and potassium concentrations were measured by spectrophotometry. Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests. P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant.

 The salivary sodium and potassium concentrations were almost the same in both groups at baseline (P > 0.05). A significant reduction in sodium and an increase in potassium levels were noted in the case group at 1 week compared with baseline (P < 0.001). At 1 week, the potassium concentration was significantly higher and the sodium concentration was significantly lower in the case group (P < 0.01). The salivary sodium significantly increased while the salivary potassium significantly decreased at 1 month compared with 1 week (P < 0.001). The differences with the control group were also significant (P < 0.05). No significant differences were noted between the two groups at 3 months (P > 0.05).

 Time has a significant effect on the release profile of sodium and potassium ions from orthodontic appliances. The salivary sodium and potassium concentrations returned to their normal pretreatment values within 3 months after the start of fixed orthodontic treatment.