Salivary enzymes and periodontal disease

Host responses to periodontal disease include the production of different enzymes that are released by stromal, epithelial or inflammatory cells. There are important enzymes associated with cell injury and cell death like: aspartate and alanine aminotransferase (AST, ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), alkaline and acidic phosphatase (ALP, ACP), gama glutamyl transferase (GGT). Changes in enzymatic activity reflect metabolic changes in the gingiva and periodontium in inflammation.

In this paper we have examined the activity of CK, LDH, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP and ACP in saliva from patients with periodontal disease before and after periodontal treatment (experimental group, 30 samples) and in saliva from healthy patients (control group--20 samples). Periodontal disease was determined based on clinical parameters (gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD)). Patients with periodontal disease were under conventional periodontal treatment.

Obtained results were shown statistically significant increases of activity of CK, LDH, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, ACP in saliva from patients with periodontal disease in relation to control group. There is positive correlation between the activity of examined salivary enzymes and value of the gingival index. After conventional periodontal therapy the activity of all salivary enzymes was significantly decreased.

Based on these results, it can be assume that activity of these enzymes in saliva, as biochemical markers for periodontal tissue damage, may be useful in diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of therapy effects in periodontal disease.