Periodontitis, diabetes mellitus, and the lopsided redox balance: A unifying axis

The aim of present study was to evaluate and compare the total antioxidant capacity in the saliva of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and healthy subjects, with and without periodontal disease.

The study was designed as a case-control study, comprising of 120 male subjects, who were divided into four groups of 30 patients each. Group I: Thirty type 2 diabetic males with periodontal disease; Group II: Thirty type 2 diabetic males without periodontal disease; Group III: Thirty healthy males with periodontal disease; Group IV: Thirty healthy males without periodontal disease. After clinical measurement and sampling, the total antioxidant capacities in the saliva of type 2 diabetic and healthy men were determined, and the data were tested by non-parametric tests. The total antioxidant capacity of the clinical samples was determined spectrophotometrically.

The total antioxidant capacity in the saliva was the lowest in type 2 diabetic males with periodontal disease. The results were statistically significant.

The findings of our study finally conclude that the salivary total antioxidant capacity is affected in type 2 diabetic males, in addition to the impact of periodontal disease, and hence, can be used as a useful marker of periodontitis in healthy and diabetic patients.