Salivary Galectin-3 Levels Among Healthy Individuals, Patients With Periodontitis, Oral Potentially Malignant...

Background Chronic inflammation and oral microbial imbalances contribute significantly to the development of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral cancer. Galectin-3 (Gal-3), an inflammatory biomarker, is involved in immune response, cell death, angiogenesis, and cancer progression, making it a potential biomarker for both inflammatory and malignant conditions. Saliva enables non-invasive, convenient biomarker analysis for detecting inflammatory conditions. Aim To assess and compare salivary Gal-3 levels among healthy individuals, patients with periodontitis, OPMDs, and oral cancer, and to explore its potential association with inflammatory and malignant oral conditions. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study included 120 subjects of both genders, divided into four groups (n = 30 each): healthy controls; individuals with periodontitis; individuals with periodontitis and OPMDs; and those with periodontitis and oral cancer. Clinical periodontal parameters were documented, and unstimulated saliva samples were collected in a standardised manner. Salivary Gal-3 levels were measured using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Appropriate statistical tests were performed to examine differences in Gal-3 levels between groups, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results The mean age of the study population was 44.60, with significant differences among the groups. Most participants across all groups were males, but this was not statistically significant. There were statistically significant differences in periodontal parameters, i.e., probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss, among the groups. Significant differences were observed in salivary Gal-3 levels among all groups, with the lowest in the healthy group and the highest in the periodontitis with oral cancer group. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated statistically significant intergroup differences in salivary Gal-3 levels, F (3, 116) = 9.11, p < 0.001. However, given the cross-sectional design and potential confounding factors, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion Elevated salivary Gal-3 levels observed in OPMDs and oral cancer patients suggest a potential association with tumour progression and oral carcinogenesis. Salivary Gal-3 has the potential to serve as a non-invasive, adjunctive biomarker for early detection and risk assessment, particularly in high-risk individuals such as those with chronic periodontitis, OPMDs, and oral cancers. Further longitudinal studies are required to validate its clinical utility.