Evaluation of Osteocalcin Levels in Saliva of Periodontitis Patients and Their Correlation with the Disease Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objectives The present study aimed to investigate osteocalcin levels in saliva of healthy and periodontitis patients and correlate these levels with periodontitis severity. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital setup. A total of 95 individuals participated in the study with 46 subjects in group I (healthy individuals) and 49 subjects in group II (mild, moderate, and severe chronic periodontitis patients). A detailed assessment of clinical periodontal parameters and alveolar bone loss was made. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all study subjects and osteocalcin levels were quantitatively analyzed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent essay technique. Statistical Analysis One-way analysis of variance, Spearman's correlation test, and Pearson's chi-squared test were applied at a significance level of 95%. p -Values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The results showed a significant association of qualification with group II (p < 0.02). Bone loss scores were also significantly associated with periodontitis severity (p < 0.01). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between group I and group II in terms of mean salivary osteocalcin levels (p = 0.68). Also, an insignificant correlation was also observed between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity (p = 0.13). Conclusion The overall study results showed that there was no significant difference between saliva osteocalcin levels of healthy and periodontitis patients. Also, there was a nonsignificant correlation between osteocalcin levels and periodontitis severity. The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that low osteocalcin levels in saliva might be considered as a poor indicator of periodontal disease progression and severity.