Effect of air pollution on salivary interleukin-8 levels in children

Abstract

Background: Air pollution in cities has always been a permanent and serious threat for the health of society and the environment,influencing the health of different body organs and systems both acutely and chronically. Therefore,the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of air pollution in saliva Interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in children. Materials and methods: A total of 88,8- to 10-year-old children were included in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Group I,the case group,included 44 children from Tabriz (Iranian Azerbaijan),and group II,the control group,included 44 children from Kalibar Town (of Tabriz). Both groups in this study had a similar economic status. Following sampling and selection of individuals,for measuring the levels of saliva IL-8,ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method was used. To investigate the difference between the means of the groups,independent t test or its nonparametric equivalent,i.e.,Man-Whitney test and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 21 were used. In this study,p-value lower than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results of this study indicate a significant difference in the levels of saliva IL-8 between the two groups,where the mean level of saliva IL-8 is greater in children residing in the region with higher air pollution level than in the children dwelling in the region with a greater air pollution level (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The results obtained from this study indicated that the level of saliva IL-8 increases in regions with air pollution,potentially causing several mouth problems in children. © 2016,Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd. All rights reserved.