title: Comparison of salivary antioxidants in healthy smoking and non-smoking men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tobacco use is known as a serious global public health problem, and is also an important risk factor for oral diseases. Saliva is the first biological medium encountered during inhalation of cigarette smoke. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to compare the levels of salivary antioxidants between healthy smoking and non-smoking men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from 80 men. Forty subjects were smokers with a daily consumption of 20 cigarettes for at least 10 years and 40 subjects were non-smokers. The salivary levels of uric acid, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and peroxidase were measured and compared between studied groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean levels of salivary superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and peroxidase were significantly lower in smokers than non-smokers. There was no statistically significant difference in the salivary uric acid level between smokers and non-smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of antioxidant agents in human saliva might be useful for estimating the level of oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Dental School, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid-reza
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Abdolsamadi
authors.forename: Mohammad-taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Goodarzi
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robati
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmadi-Motemaye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000032:analysis; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000032:analysis; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014527:Uric Acid; D009195:Peroxidase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase