Comparison of Salivary pH, Buffering Capacity and Alkaline Phosphatase in Smokers and Healthy Non-Smokers: Retrospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
Saliva contains alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-a key intracellular enzyme related to destructive processes and cellular damage-and has buffering capacity (BC) against acids due to the presence of bicarbonate and phosphate ions. Smoking may have deleterious effects on the oral environment due to pH changes which can affect ALP activity. This study aimed to evaluate the salivary pH, BC and ALP activity of male smokers and healthy non-smokers.


METHODS
This retrospective cohort study took place between August 2012 and December 2013. A total of 251 healthy male non-smokers and 259 male smokers from Hamadan, Iran, were selected. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected from each participant and pH and BC were determined using a pH meter. Salivary enzymes were measured by spectrophotometric assay.


RESULTS
Mean salivary pH (7.42 ± 0.48 and 7.52 ± 0.43, respectively; P = 0.018) and BC (3.41 ± 0.54 and 4.17 ± 0.71; P = 0.001) was significantly lower in smokers compared to non-smokers. Mean ALP levels were 49.58 ± 23.33 IU/L among smokers and 55.11 ± 27.85 IU/L among non-smokers (P = 0.015).


CONCLUSIONS
Significantly lower pH, BC and ALP levels were observed among smokers in comparison to a healthy control group. These salivary alterations could potentially be utilised as biochemical markers for the evaluation of oral tissue function and side-effects among smokers. Further longitudinal studies are recommended to evaluate the effects of smoking on salivary components.
Dental Research Center, Faculty of Dentistry, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran;
Fatemeh
F
Ahmadi-Motamayel
Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Parisa
P
Falsafi
Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran;
Mohammad T
MT
Goodarzi
Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran;
Jalal
J
Poorolajal
Acids; Alkaline Phosphatase; Buffers; Saliva; Smoking