Salivary antioxidants as periodontal biomarkers in evaluation of tissue status and treatment outcome

Background and objective One of the major pathologic patterns in periodontitis represents an imbalance among the production of free radicals and local antioxidants resulting in periodontal tissue destruction. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of non‐surgical periodontal treatment on salivary antioxidants and to evaluate their capacity as biomarkers reflecting periodontal tissue condition and therapy outcome. Material and Methods Sixty‐three systemically healthy non‐smokers, including 21 periodontally healthy subjects (HC) and 42 patients with current chronic periodontitis fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Half of the patients received scaling and root planing (SRP) and the other half received only oral hygiene instructions. Full mouth clinical measurements, including gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), periodontal pocket depth, clinical attachment level and saliva sampling were performed at baseline visit and 2 mo after treatment/baseline visit. Total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), albumins (ALB), uric acid (UA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were evaluated in saliva samples using commercial kits. Results All measured antioxidants were affected by treatment resulting in significant increase in TAOC (p