The comparison of the salivary concentration of interleukin‑17 and interleukin‑18 in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy individuals

Regarding the prevalence and importance of periodontal disease and the potential of salivary biomarkers for the early diagnosis of these diseases, this study was conducted to compare salivary concentrations of Interleukin‑17 (IL‑17) and Interleukin‑18 (IL‑18) in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy individuals.

The present research was a descriptive–analytical and also a cross‑sectional study. Unstimulated saliva with full‑mouth clinical periodontal recordings were obtained from 20 healthy individuals and 20 individuals with chronic periodontitis. The concentrations of salivary IL‑17 and IL‑18 were determined using the enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assays. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney U‑test was used for statistical analysis of the findings. Alpha level was set at 0.05.

The mean salivary concentration of IL‑18 in patients with chronic periodontitis was 143.10 pg/mL, which was higher than the same concentration in healthy controls (78.33 pg/mL), (P = 0.035). The mean salivary concentration of IL‑17 in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy controls was 3.51 and 4.57 pg/mL, respectively, and there was no difference between the two groups (P = 0.283).

Within the limitations of the present study, it may be suggested that an elevated salivary IL‑18 level in chronic periodontitis patients has the potential to be a biomarker for periodontal tissue destruction.