Selected antibacterial factors in the saliva of diabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus leads to many systemic complications, including changes in the morphology, function of the salivary glands, and the composition of saliva.

The study comprised a randomly selected 156 adults, of both genders, aged from 21 to 79, out of which patients with diabetes type 1 and 2, and healthy subjects forming two control age- and gender matched to the ill subjects. In unstimulated mixed saliva, total protein, peroxidase, myeloperoxidase and immunoglobulin A were measured as well as salivary flow rate. The periodontal condition was assessed with the use of GI, mSBI and PSR index. The obtained data were analysed with the use of U Mann-Whitney's test, Spearman's rang correlation and Chi-square test at a significant level of p < 0.05 with use of Statistica 9.0 software.

Type 1 diabetics in comparison to healthy age and gender matched control group had a lower salivary flow rate (p < 0.01), a higher content of total protein (p < 0.01), myeloperoxidase (p < 0.001) and immunoglobulin A (p < 0.001). Similarly, type 2 diabetics in comparison to control subjects had a higher level of total protein concentration (p < 0.01), myeloperoxidase (p < 0.05) and immunoglobulin A (p < 0.001). We also found worse periodontal condition.

Within the limitation of the study it may be stated that diabetes type 1 and 2 can cause abnormalities in salivary glands function resulting in the diminishing of salivary flow rate and the increase in total protein content. Higher levels of myeloperoxidase and IgA in the saliva can be linked to worse periodontal condition in the diabetic patients.