Salivary Sialic Acid Levels in Smokeless Tobacco Users.
BACKGROUND
Smokeless tobacco chewing is one of the known risk factors for oral cancer. It is consumed widely by residents of southeastern Iran.


OBJECTIVE
In this study, salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein were compared in paan consumers and non-consumers.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, unstimulated saliva of 94 subjects (44 paan consumers and 50 non-consumers) who were referred to the oral medicine department of the dentistry school of Zahedan were collected. Salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein concentration were measured by standard biochemical methods, and the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 20 through the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test.


RESULTS
The concentration of salivary free sialic acid (23.21 ± 18.98 mg/L) was significantly increased in paan consumers. The concentration of salivary Total sialic acid (TSA) (39.57 ± 26.58 mg/L) and total protein (0.77 ± 0.81 mg/mL) showed increases in paan consumers, however, the results were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein were higher in the paan consumers compared to non-consumers. Due to the carcinogenic effect of smokeless tobacco, measurement of these parameters in saliva may be useful in early detection of oral cancer.
Department of Oral Medicine, Oral and Dental Disease Research Center, School of Dentistry, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, IR Iran.
Leila
L
Farhad Mollashahi
Department of Oral Medicine, Oral and Dental Disease Research Center, School of Dentistry, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, IR Iran.
Marieh
M
Honarmand
Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, IR Iran.
Alireza
A
Nakhaee
Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, IR Iran.
Ghasem
G
Mollashahi
Saliva; Sialic Acid; Smokeless; Tobacco