Does Salivary Calcium and Phosphate Concentrations Adequately Reflect Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis?

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is the inflammation of the periodontal supporting tissues. The response of periodontal tissues to local bacteria leads to bone resorption and destruction of periodontal junction. Given the possible association between periodontitis and low bone mineral density, the aim of present study was to find if measurement of salivary biomarkers as a less invasive method, can provide an appropriate screening method for assessment of bone mineral density in patients with chronic periodontitis?

METHODS: A case-control study was conducted on 53 people, including 28 patients with severe chronic periodontitis and 25 healthy people between April 2014 to March 2015 in Zahedan (southeast of Iran). Following Periodontal examination, salivary samples were collected, and the concentration of salivary calcium and phosphate were measured and reported as mg/dl. Bone mineral density of participants was measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and reported as gr/cm2.

RESULTS: No significant association was found between concentrations of salivary calcium and phosphate levels with bone mineral density in either healthy people or in patients with severe chronic periodontitis, despite a significant bone density reduction (in the femur neck and lumbar spine L2-L4) in the periodontitis group compared to healthy people (P=0.006, and P=0.009 respectively).

CONCLUSION: Concentration of salivary calcium and phosphate do not appear to be good indicators of bone mineral density. Further prospective studies with larger sample size are recommended.