Objective: To evaluate changes in the levels of salivary irisin in chronic periodontitis, and to correlate the two.
Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Fatima Memorial Hospital & College of Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan, from September 2017 to March 2018, and comprised patients of either gender visiting the periodontic out-patient department. The subjects were divided into group I, which had periodontally healthy controls, and group II, which had an equal number of chronic periodontitis patients. Chronic periodontitis was assessed on basis of pocket probing depth, clinical attachment level, plaque percentage and bleeding on probing. Also, 4ml of un-stimulated saliva was collected for the quantification of irisin protein using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using SPSS 25.
Results: Of the 40 subjects, there were 20 (50%) in group I with 10 (50%) males and 10 (50%) females having an overall mean age of 37.60±2.58 years. The remaining 20 (50%) subjects were in group II with 16 (80%) males and 4 (20%) females having an overall mean age of 43.25±6.10 years. Mean salivary irisin level in group II was 6.80±3.97ng/ml compared to 3.99±2.48 ng/ml in group I (p=0.009). Periodontal clinical parameters in both the groups were positively but non-significantly correlated with salivary irisin levels (p>0.05) except for decreased plaque percentage in group I (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Salivary irisin levels increased in chronic periodontitis and decreased with decreasing plaque percentage in healthy individuals, indicating that this myokine can act as a biomarker for chronic periodontal disease.
Keywords: Irisin, Chronic periodontitis, Probing pocket depth, Clinical attachment loss, Plaque, Bleeding on probing..