Evaluation of Salivary IL?8 and Calcium Levels in Postmenopausal Females with and without Periodontitis—A Comparative Study

Background and Objective: Menopause is a normal developmental stage in a woman’s life marking the permanent cessation of menstruation. Calcium is predominant in intracellular signalling and its intracellular increase can affect the cell’s proliferation, phagocytosis and cytokine secretion. IL?8 expression in various cells such as neutrophils and osteoblasts was reported to involve a calcium signalling pathway. Well?known functions of IL?8 includes help in angiogenesis, role in tumour progression, tissue remodelling, etc., Hence, the aim of this study was to establish the relationship between calcium?dependent IL?8 and periodontal disease in postmenopausal females. Method: The study population included 52 postmenopausal women aged 45–57 years. The patients were divided into two groups in which group I included postmenopausal women without periodontitis and group II with periodontitis. Unstimulated salivary samples were collected from all the participants to evaluate IL?8 and calcium levels. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in salivary IL?8 levels between the two groups (P < 0.001), but there was no statistical difference in salivary calcium levels between the two groups (P = 0.730). A weak negative correlation between salivary IL?8 and calcium was found in group I, while a weak positive correlation was found between the same in group II. Conclusion: Analysis of salivary IL?8 from the present study was in accordance with several previous studies. It can be concluded that saliva can also be used as a reliable oral diagnostic fluid for IL?8 and calcium detection in periodontitis.

Alveolar bone mass in pre- and postmenopausal women with serum calcium as a marker: A comparative study.

Context: In most women bone mass reaches its peak in the third decade of life and declines thereafter with the onset of menopause and might lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis may result in reduced jaw bone mass and alterations of the mandibular structure. Qualitative and quantitative indices have been used for panoramic radiographs to assess the alveolar bone quality. Aims: The purpose of this study was to compare the alveolar bone quality of premenopausal and postmenopausal women using the panoramic mandibular index (PMI). This study also aimed to estimate the levels of serum calcium in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Settings and Design: Single centre case control study. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 patients were divided into three groups of ten each - the healthy group, control group, and study group. Alveolar bone mass was evaluated by the PMI. Serum calcium was also assessed for all the patients. Statistical analysis used: The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis by one-way analysis of variance using Statistical Software SPSS version 17, Tukey test for comparision, Pearson's correlation coefficient was employed. Results: Premenopausal women had the highest values for alveolar cortical bone mass as recorded by the PMI, followed by postmenopausal women with a healthy periodontium. The lowest values were recorded in the group of postmenopausal women with chronic generalized periodontitis. Similar results were found for serum calcium values. Conclusion: Postmenopausal women exhibit a reduced alveolar bone mass and lowered levels of serum total calcium with the increasing age. These changes may be useful indicators for low skeletal bone mineral density or osteoporosis.

Correlation between leptin and the health of the gingiva: A predictor of medical risk.

Context: Over the past decade, a growing body of scientific evidence has suggested an exquisite association between oral infection and systemic diseases (e.g. atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, premature or low birth weight babies, pulmonary diseases, etc.) and also between systemic diseases (e.g. arthritis, diabetes, HIV infection and osteoporosis) and oral and craniofacial diseases and disorders. Leptin is a hormone secreted by the adipocytes in varying quantities and regulates the body weight. The present study was undertaken in the context of knowing the role of leptin in the inflammatory process occurring in the gingiva as the disease progressed from gingivitis to periodontitis. Aims: The present study was done to correlate the concentrations of leptin and interleukin (IL)-6 within the gingiva in healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis groups of patients and to correlate gingival leptin and IL-6 concentrations with plasma leptin and IL-6 concentrations in the healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis groups of patients. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study and was carried out on the patients from the out-patient department of Periodontics in A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences. Patients and Methods: Seventy-five patients in the age group of 18-60 years were selected and grouped based on the gingival index (Loe and Sillness) and their clinical attachment levels into healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis groups. Leptin and IL-6 levels were estimated within gingiva and the plasma of each subject using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The results of this study were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. Mean and the standard deviation were calculated using analysis of variance Fisher's F-test and then the results were subjected to Tukey's Honest significance difference method for multiple comparison among the three groups. Correlation among the three groups was estimated using Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: Results showed a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of gingival leptin and a statistically significant increase in the concentration of plasma leptin as the gingival disease progressed. Conclusion: It was concluded that as the gingival disease progressed, the gingival leptin concentration decreased, whereas the plasma leptin concentration increased, indicating a possible correlation between leptin concentration in the gingiva and the risk of developing systemic disease like the cardiovascular disease.