Evaluating the levels of salivary alkaline and acid phosphatase activities as biochemical markers for periodontal disease: A case series

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the salivary levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activities in patients with periodontal disease and to evaluate the use of these enzymes as biochemical markers for periodontal tissue damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective analytical study, we examined the activities of salivary ALP and ACP in patients with periodontal disease, before and after periodontal treatment. The experimental groups consisted of 20 gingivitis patients and 20 periodontitis patients and the control group had healthy subjects (20 samples). The stimulated saliva of the patient was collected in a sterile test tube and analyzed using Hitachi's Diagnostic Automatic Analyser. Periodontal disease was determined based on clinical parameters such as gingival index, probing depth and clinical attachment loss. Patients with periodontal disease were under conventional periodontal treatment. The statistical analysis applied was Student's t-test. Probabilities less than 0.05 (P < 0.05) were considered significant. RESULTS: The obtained results showed statistically significant increased activities of ALP and ACP in saliva from patients with periodontal disease in relation to control group. A significant reduction in the enzyme levels was seen after conventional periodontal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, salivary ALP and ACP can be considered to be the biomarkers for evaluating periodontal tissue damage.