Salivary Biomarkers in Denture Stomatitis: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oral medicine
• Biomarker research
• Inflammation studies

Background:

• Denture stomatitis (DS) is an inflammation of the oral mucosa caused by biofilms on dentures.
• Identifying reliable biomarkers for DS is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate evidence on salivary biomarker levels in adults with and without palatal DS.
• To assess the quality of evidence and methodological rigor of included studies.

Main Methods:

• Searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (until Dec 2018) following PRISMA guidelines.
• Included experimental and observational studies with adult participants and control groups.
• Assessed evidence level (Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine) and methodological quality (STROBE, Olmos scale).

Main Results:

• Nine studies were included, with seven showing significant differences in salivary cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α) between DS patients and controls (P < 0.05).
• Two studies found no significant differences for other cytokines (e.g., IL-2, IL-10).
• Most studies had Level 3 evidence and Grade B recommendation, with methodological quality graded as B.

Conclusions:

• Palatal inflammation in denture stomatitis is significantly associated with specific salivary cytokine levels.
• Altered salivary biomarker levels in DS may facilitate early diagnosis and treatment strategies.