[Variations of salivary dismutase superoxide in tonsillar infection]

The antioxidant effect of superoxido dismutase in saliva was measured in children bearing of tonsillar hypertrophy, recidivant tonsillitis or peritonsillar abscess. These levels were compared to those detected on tonsillar tissue obtained from tonsillectomy (p < 0.001). Although salivary SOD concentration in children with tonsillar infection was higher than hypertrophy, there was not a significative correlation to tonsillar value of the enzyme (R2 = 0.2276), so we can not accept a predictive value for salivary SOD of tonsillar suffering and, eventually, of tonsillectomy.