The detection of salivary minerals in smokers and non-smokers with chronic periodontitis by the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry technique.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of smoking on the salivary minerals in subjects with chronic periodontitis by the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry (ICP-AES) technique.
METHODS: The study group included 24 subjects-12 smokers and 12 non-smokers-with chronic periodontitis. Clinical measurements and non-stimulated whole saliva were obtained, and the levels of five elements-sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate-in each specimen were analyzed.
RESULTS: When the clinical parameters were compared between groups, only plaque index was significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers (P <0.05). The mean plaque index of smokers and non-smokers was 1.93 +/- 0.51 and 1.51 +/- 0.39, respectively. The results of this study showed that there were no significant differences between groups in the mineral content of saliva. In smokers, there were positive correlations between the levels of calcium, sodium, and magnesium and clinical attachment level. There was also a positive correlation between the level of phosphate and the percentage of bleeding on probing. In non-smokers, there was a negative correlation only between the mean level of sodium and plaque index (P <0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that no significant differences were found between the mineral content of saliva of smokers and non-smokers by the ICP-AES technique. It is a useful, fast, and sensitive technique compared to other techniques, and it can be advised for researchers while analyzing the mineral content of saliva.