Salivary levels of uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, and amylase in smokers versus non-smokers

Smoking is a hazardous habit with numerous adverse effects on oral health. It plays an important role in development of cancerous and precancerous lesions and periodontal disease. Saliva has an antioxidant system and several enzymes. This study aimed to assess the salivary levels of uric acid (UA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and amylase in smokers versus non-smokers.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 individuals (30 smokers and 30 non-smokers) at the Dental School of Islamic Azad University. The participants were requested to refrain from smoking, eating and drinking prior to saliva sampling. A minimum of 1 cc of unstimulated saliva was collected from each participant by the spitting method. The level of salivary LDH was measured by the DGKC method, the level of UA was measured by the uricase assay, and the level of amylase was quantified by the kinetic photometric method. Data were analyzed by t-test, Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and Mann-Whitney test (P<0.05).

The salivary level of UA was 1.35±1.2 mg/dL and 1.08±1.05 mg/dL in smokers and nonsmokers, respectively with no significant difference (P=0.08). The salivary levels of amylase and LDH were 44509±38062 U/L and 420±244 IU/L in smokers and 47299±29659 U/L and 538±350 IU/L in non-smokers, respectively, with no significant difference (P>0.05).

Despite the slightly higher level of salivary UA in smokers, the difference between smokers and non-smokers was not significant in any of the tested parameters.