Salivary coagulopathy and immunoglobulins in oral submucous fibrosis

Abstract

Aim : The etiopathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis is still obscure. Immunological disorders have been associated with it and as the disease produces changes localized to the oral cavity, it is assumed that saliva may play an important role in the etiopathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to detect salivary coagulopathy, immunologic alterations and their comparison in oral submucous fibrosis patients and controls. Materials and Methods : Salivary coagulopathy procedures and quantitative estimations of serum immunoglobulins were carried out by serial radial immunodiffusion method in 60 oral submucous fibrosis patients and equal age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The obtained data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests. Results : The results indicated the presence of a precipitating factor in saliva responsible for salivary coagulopathy, dependent upon the severity of the disease and not on age, sex or duration of the disease. As compared to the controls, serum IgG and IgA, but not IgM levels were raised significantly among patients. IgG levels were increased in all the grades, while IgA levels were increased in Grade II and Grade III cases only. IgM levels in Grade II and Grade III cases showed no significant alterations, however, were reduced in Grade I cases. The serum immunoglobulin levels showed no correlation with the duration of the disease. Conclusion : Alteration in saliva and immunity do indicate an immunological basis in the etiopathogenesis of this complex clinical entity.

Keywords

• Immunoglobulins
• oral submucous fibrosis
• salivary coagulopathy