Saliva diagnostics of sex hormones and subgingival microflora in children in puberty

Abstract

During puberty there are increased levels of sex hormones, which can affect the oral environment. At this period, there is a peak prevalence of periodontal pathology believed to be related to alteration in the subgingival microflora. This study investigated the interaction between sex hormones isolated in the saliva, and the subgingival microflora in children undergoing puberty. The study included 60 children aged 10–14 years who were monitored: 30 without gingivitis (up to 25% Papillary Bleeding Index—PBI) and good oral hygiene, and 30 children with plaque-induced gingivitis (over 50% PBI). All patients were registered with a periodontal status using a medical card developed for this purpose. For the study of sex hormones (oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone), samples of unstimulated saliva were taken under fasting condition in the morning and were tested by using labelled immunological analysis and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry [LC-MS (MS(QQQ)]. Gingival sulcus from six teeth was taken with paper pins to test nine control strains (pooled sample) by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results showed that, when comparing children with gingivitis with healthy children, only the oestradiol hormone had elevated values. In the children with gingivitis, the composition of the subgingival microflora was much more varied and complex, with a tendency to increase the species diversity of microorganisms from the red complex. The oestradiol levels in saliva correlated with the total number of subgingival microorganisms, as well as with some species of microorganisms, Capnocytophaga gingivalis, Peptostreptococcus micros, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia.