Comparison of Salivary pH and α-Amylase levels in healthy Subjects and Patients with Recurrent aphthous Stomatitis

Abstract

Introduction: Recurrent oral aphthous is one of the most common oral ulcers that appears most painfully on the non-keratinized oral mucosa. Salivary alpha-amylase, on the other hand, is a secretory protein that increases under stressful conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the alpha-amylase and pH of saliva in patients with recurrent oral aphthous ulcer. Method and Materials: In this case-control study, 70 untreated saliva (35 patients with oral aphthous and 35 as control) were collected from the oral diseases department of Tabriz dental school. Unstimulated saliva was collected from all subjects in the case and control groups by Spitting method. Salivary alpha-amylase levels were determined by standard biochemical spectrophotometry and pH of samples was measured by pH meter. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19 software using independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. In this study, p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Mean salivary pH was 7.98 ± 0.72 and 6.85±0.86 in healthy individuals (P = 0.005). Salivary pH was significantly higher in the patients at the time of falling (7.98 ± 0.72) than at the time of recovery (7.66 ± 0.48). Salivary alpha amylase levels were 7.66±0.48 in healthy individuals and 19.99 ± 4.65 in healthy individuals (P = 0.012). Salivary alpha amylase levels were significantly higher in patients at the time of falling (80.78 ± 4.69) than at the time of recovery (65.61 ± 27.52). Conclusion: The levels of alpha-amylase and salivary pH were significantly higher in patients with aphthous disease than in healthy individuals.