Salivary albumin of edentulous patients.

In order to evaluate the contribution of the periodontal sulcus or pocket to the presence of albumin in the mouth, this protein was analysed in whole saliva of 20 completely dentate adults, aged between 63 and 83 years, and in 23 edentulous patients of similar age (51-88 years). In spite of the considerable intra- and interindividual variations revealed by a preliminary trial, the concentration of salivary albumin was significantly higher (range 60-1080 mg/l) in the dentate than in edentulous individuals (range 2-690 mg/l). The low albumin content in saliva of old edentulous people was similar to that in a group of younger individuals with a healthy periodontium.