Salivary levels of uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, and amylase in smokers versus non-smokers

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Smoking is a hazardous habit with numerous adverse effects on oral health. It plays an important role in development of cancerous and precancerous lesions and periodontal disease. Saliva has an antioxidant system and several enzymes. This study aimed to assess the salivary levels of uric acid (UA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and amylase in smokers versus non-smokers. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 individuals (30 smokers and 30 non-smokers) at the Dental School of Islamic Azad University. The participants were requested to refrain from smoking, eating and drinking prior to saliva sampling. A minimum of 1 cc of unstimulated saliva was collected from each participant by the spitting method. The level of salivary LDH was measured by the DGKC method, the level of UA was measured by the uricase assay, and the level of amylase was quantified by the kinetic photometric method. Data were analyzed by t-test, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann-Whitney test (P0.05). Conclusion: Despite the slightly higher level of salivary UA in smokers, the difference between smokers and non-smokers was not significant in any of the tested parameters.

Keywords

• uric acid
• lactate dehydrogenase
• amylase
• cigarette smoking