Saliva as a surrogate to explore the association between lipid profiles and chronic periodontitis: A case-control study

BACKGROUND: There is abundance of literature delving into whether periodontal infection contributes to changes in serum lipid profiles. Whole saliva is an important physiologic fluid that contains a highly complex mixture of substances. Research on salivary lipid profiles and chronic periodontitis remains unexplored and limited. This study was designed with an aim to investigate the association between the chronic periodontitis and salivary lipid levels and to make use of saliva as a non-invasive diagnostic aid. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case-control study included 60 subjects of which, 40 were diagnosed as having chronic periodontitis based on the probing depth and clinical attachment levels and 20 healthy subjects as control group. Whole saliva was collected and lipid concentrations (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein [LDL] and high density lipoprotein [HDL]) were assessed by enzymatic methods and the values were read in ultraviolet-Spectrophotometer. Data was analyzed using student's t test for equality of means. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean difference in the concentrations of TC and TG in saliva of chronic periodontitis patients were statistically significant (P = 0.02) when compared to the healthy. HDL and LDL concentrations were not statistically significant, but there was a difference in their means. LDL was higher in chronic periodontitis and HDL mean levels were high among the healthy. CONCLUSION: Increased salivary lipids in chronic periodontitis patients suggest an association between hyperlipidemia and periodontitis. The relatively easy and non-invasive nature of saliva can be used as a diagnostic tool to assess the lipid status. Further research is needed to determine its specificity as a surrogate to serum lipid profiles.