Salivary Amylase as Potential Biochemical Marker in Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a major global health problem. Diagnosing and monitoring diabetes is the best way for its prevention, thus reducing the burden of disease. As saliva is easily available and accessible when compared with serum, salivary biomarkers have gained importance in recent years and, therefore, can be helpful in diagnosing the disease.Aims: The purpose of this study was to estimate the salivary amylase level in patients with types I and II diabetes mellitus and to correlate these findings with those of nondiabetic individuals in order to ascertain its value as a biochemical indicator for diagnosing and monitoring the patients.Materials and methods: Three groups of patients were selected for the present study. Group A: 20 nondiabetic, healthy individuals; group B: 20 type I diabetes mellitus patients; group C: 20 type II diabetes mellitus patients. Fasting and postprandial unstimulated saliva samples were collected and subjected for analysis of salivary amylase. Estimation of salivary amylase was determined by direct substrate method.Results: The mean fasting salivary amylase level for types I and II diabetic and nondiabetic individuals was 245.60, 239.10, and 149 U/dL respectively, whereas the mean postprandial salivary amylase was 257.35, 246.15, and 154.2 U/dL respectively. The mean value of variables was compared using Student's t test and one-way analysis of variance test.Conclusion: The mean salivary amylase level was significantly increased in both types I and II diabetic individuals as compared with healthy nondiabetic subjects (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the mean of types I and II diabetic patients.